As 2014 starts, the word for the week is “character”. Being an advocate of sports quotes, I want to share one of my favourites with you, “Sports do not build character. They reveal it” — John Wooden.

How true is this? What do sports tell us about the person? How a person trains, their preparation, how they play and respond to wins and losses, and how they work outside of training tells us a lot about the character of a person.

One only has to look at the Ashes series between Australia and England to learn about character, not only of an individual, but of a team.

This past summer, Australia and England played each other in England, and England won 3-0 to retain the Ashes urn. However, only months later, many cricket analysts were sure that England would wipe Australia aside, but the character of Australia would not let the same thing happen twice. Australia, from ball one in Australia, have looked a completely different team.

The Australians made the decision that they would go away and work as hard as they possibly can; train with a renewed focus. Since which, they have dominated England and showed character beyond one’s imagination to not only defeat England, but they are now one win away from a 5-0 series whitewash. Hence, “Sports do not build character. They reveal it”.

Who can remember the Michael Jordan story? Jordan attended Emsley A. Laney High School in Wilmington, North Carolina, where he tried out for the varsity team in his sophomore year, but was deemed too short to play at that level. However, Jordan would not be denied because he was motivated to prove them wrong.

Instead of sulking, he showed tremendous character. The next summer he grew some four inches and trained harder than ever because he was determined to make the team — and he would. Not only would he make the team, but in his senior year of high school, he would make the McDonald’s All-American team.

From there, he would go on to college basketball with North Carolina, before signing for the Chicago Bulls. It was at the Bulls that he made a name for himself. Today we remember him as one of the best basketball players ever, if not the best.

Can you imagine if, in his early days, Michael Jordan got discouraged and just quit like many would have done because he was rejected? The world would have been deprived of his greatness. Hence, “Sports do not build character. They reveal it”.

Can you think of a situation in sport when character was revealed?

When you sit and reflect on some of the greatest sportsmen ever, do you notice they have a story behind them? Nine times out of ten, the story comes from them showing character to achieve something great.

Liverpool’s Luis Suarez comes to mind when I think of character. Here is a guy who over the past year or two has gone through hell in English football.

First, he had the racist issue with Patrice Evra, then there was the biting incident with Branislav Ivanovic, yet through it all he persevered to bounce back this season and show true character.

Not only are Liverpool in the top four, but Suarez leads the charts, having scored 20 goals already this season, despite missing the first six matches through suspension. Hence, “Sports do not build character. They reveal it”.

To make this article a little more personal — and normally I wouldn’t do this — I figured I would share my son Jonte’s experience with you. His character is being tested like never before.

All his life, he has scored goals for fun. Having got a contract with Crawley Town in 2012, he went out on loan and scored 25 goals in a two-month period, which earned him his debut with Crawley last year.

In an effort to try to break into the Crawley first team this season, while on summer holiday in Bermuda he hired a professional trainer and worked out tirelessly, day in and day out.

However, during a pre-season game he got a nasty ankle injury, which took him close to eight weeks to recover from. Now having been out on loan and back at Crawley, he has sat on the bench for more than a month without seeing the field.

While most youngsters would be disheartened and look at this experience as negative, this could be the best thing that ever happens to him. His character and passion are being tested and it is a test that he must pass if he wants to further his career.

This is a career-changing experience and he knows it. Therefore, even though he has not played yet, he is one of the first to the training ground and one of the last to leave. Hence, “Sports do not build character. They reveal it”.

As you can see from all of the relative situations I listed, people have choices when things get tough and it is through these times that one’s true character is revealed. It is so easy to run away when things become difficult.

Too often, I think, in Bermuda sports, especially in cricket, our character leaves a lot to be desired; hence, we tend to fall short of our goals quite often.

If we as a country are to prosper in sport, particularly cricket, we must make sure our athletes have the right attitude and approach so that when the time comes, their true character can shine in a positive way, which results in positive results.

Quote of the week: “Ability may get you to the top, but it takes character to keep you there.”

— John Wooden