PSA- Definition of Humbling

You're the only person annoyed by this.

*sigh*

People who screw up  "affect" and "effect."

Also, people who chew loudly.

I feel bad for you. You must be an easily annoyed person.

Because a perfect game (as an event) is not more important than the person who pitched the perfect game

Another definition:

1 : not proud or haughty : not arrogant or assertive

You know what I hate?  People who post stupid things like this on a Michigan sports blog.  

I hate when people don't use the oxford comma.

My own farts  make me laugh.

But honestly, who cares?  Do we want athletes to say "oh yeah, I rock.  Totally on me, that accomplishment."  We'd call them arrogant.

But how about if they just pointed to the sky and said "that's all on the big guy up there."  We call those people preachy and obnoxious OR stupid and hypocrites.  

Or how about if they didn't say anything and just went about his/her day?  We'd say they are aloof and disconnected from the gravity of the situation, that "you need to make a big deal about it for the fans and your teammates."

So yeah, professional athletes can never win because people love to graft their own beliefs on their accomplishments.  That's why, I don't know, people probably shouldn't expect athletes to respond any differently than we do to a major accomplishment; with the most personal humanity they possess.

To mention that when athletes say this it "begs the question" whether they know your definition. /s

You know what I hate? When people correct grammar/spelling incorrectly.

Example: Some girl commented on something I wrote about the "immanent nature" of something with "Lol considering immanent isn't a word, I think you meant imminent. But we all knew what you meant ;)"

No bitch, I meant inherent. Not impending. Chill out. Same when people correct someone's use of "irony" regardless of whether it was used correctly.

Also there was this one time some guy made an MGoBlog post about the word humbling. Fuck that guy.

You just humbled yourself

Especially when I am in Ann Arbor and trying to find parking for a meeting, scenes like this really gets me going...

I can't stand blackberries or cranberries but love blueberries! Am I the only one who feels this way about these berries?

I agree

when you're watching a TV program and the volume suddenly doubles when a commercial comes on.  Damn you, commercial television.  Damn you to hell.

I know everyone's having fun ripping on the OP, but I've always been confused as to why "humbling" is the word so many people use to describe the experience of accomplishing something great. It doesn't annoy me or anything, but it has always struck me as odd that that's the word so many people use (obviously it's cliched at this point, so of course everyone says it now).

I'm just waiting for the OP to either close his single quote (') or open the double quote ("). I mean, how are we not seeing this?

/s

Please let it be September.

xoxo,

MGoBlog Community

P.S. Can we get a Hello post, please?

Ensure vs insure. It happens all the time in work emails, and it drives me crazy.

It actually really annoys me as well--there are a lot of words/phrases that are frequently misused, but this one irks me because people use it in a manner completely opposite to its actual meaning

I hate it when people say "I seen it" - saw is not that hard to say people!
 

When people start off the discussion (paper, speech, or other exposition) of a concept with its dictionary definition. Examples include:

"What is courage? Well, according to Webster's, courage is 'blah blah blah".

"You know what bothers me? When athletes misuse the word humbling. According to the dictionary, 'humbling' means 'blah blah blah'". 

It sounds trite and frankly cliche. You're not being insightful, either with the content or the presentation. If I wanted to know what the dictionary thought about issue x, I'd go look it up myself! Please, say something worthwhile. 

Also, people who don't remove the lint from the dryer after they're done using it. 

/tooyoungtobeagrumpyoldman

as in, "he was totally dominate this afternoon."  Hello?

you know what annoyed me?  when i was living in gainesville and i would wake up on sunday with a hangover and all i wanted was something to eat so i would drive to chick-fil-a and it wouldnt be open.  I would do that every sunday, i never learned.  at least i dont have to be disappointed up here

On about 50% of all OT posts during the offseason, some jackass says, "I seriously can't wait for September," or something similar.

I may have broken a slight grin the first time, which was probably two offseasons ago.

P.S.  No offense to the offending jackasses.

I thought it was mis-labeled (missing the "OT" from the title)---when I saw the title, I was afraid that a fellow M-Blogger had gotten bad results from his doctor regarding his PSA exam numbers.  I suppose getting bad PSA #'s would be rather humbling, though not as humbling as that damn "glove test!

The use of the word humble is actually is a fascinating topic worthy of real discussion. It is easy enough to look up various definitions of "humble." I'll simply note that to be humble is to have the quality or characteristic of humility, considered one of the classic virtues.

When an athlete says they are "humble," it sometimes is code language for their faith. A key text for this comes from Philippians in the New Testament:  "Don't do anything for selfish purposes, but with humility think of others as better than yourselves." (Phil. 2:3.)

Conversely, the Bible has a ton of verses speaking against pride and arrogance. For example, Do not keep talking so proudly or let your mouth speak such arrogance. (1 Samuel 2:3) and also, First pride, then the crash---the bigger the ego, the harder the fall. (Proverbs 16:18.)

The movies are full of examples contrasting the arrogant with the humble. A favorite that comes to mind is The Gladiator. Maximus (Russell Crowe) exemplifies humility. He would not put himself forward as Emperor. Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) is full of himself, full of pride, full of ambition, full of arrogance, with no moral compass.

There is a lot of precedence for the quality of humility among athletes. Look for example, at Lou Gehrig's farewell speech when he retired from the New York Yankees:  "Fans, for the past two weeks you have been reading about the bad break I got. Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of this earth. I have been in ballparks for seventeen years and have never received anything but kindness and encouragement from you fans. Look at these grand men. Which of you wouldn't consider it the highlight of his career just to associate with them for even one day? Sure, I'm lucky."

Lou Gehrig could have been bitter. Considering his accomplishments and ability, he could have been proud, arrogant, and condescending. But he exemplified the meaning of the word "humble." A humble athlete appreciates the gifts and talents they have been given. True enough, their hard work makes a  huge difference. But they consider themselves fortunate to have the leg speed or arm strength or hand eye coordination or size or whatever to excel.

Closer to home, Denard is a great example of a fine young man who is "humble." He certainly came from "humble" circumstances. In humility he has submitted to the changes Borges has asked him to make. He has never pouted, or complained, or put himself forward inappropriately. I would submit to you that the combination of Denard's ability, along with his humility and joy of life, is what endears him to so many fans.

In contrast, I wonder if Tate Forcier's pride or sense of entitlement led to his downfall. The same thing might be said of T. Prior, or of Ryan Mallett.

The contrast between pride and humility exists on the coaching front as well. I think Hoke exemplifies humility. He is keenly aware of his great fortune to be in the position of the Michigan head coach. He is not too proud to spend time working with the defensive line. In contrast, think of former ND coach Weis. His arrogance and pride and pomposity grated on most everyone, including Michigan fans.

What complicates the use of "humble" is that it has become a trite phrase, and is often not heartfelt when spoken by an athlete. Of course, we can't always tell what is "fake" humility and what is genuine. But if an arrogant athlete uses "humble" in a fake way, it is even worse than not using it at all. False humility is worse than honest arrogance.

Well, my comments have clearly morphed into the tl;dr category. For those who have read through my ramblings thus far, I'll close by saying that true humility is a winsome quality that reflects well on each and every one of us. And loud, prideful, boastful, arrogance? Not so much. Thankfully, under Hoke's stewardship and leadership, I don't see the latter happening often at Michigan.

when people make fun of me for screwing up to/too/two. Because I have to stare at a letter for a few seconds to type out what I want to say, I always type to when I want to vocalize to/two/too. It's handicapism when people make fun of me.