A Humble Southern Hemisphere Hero #4: Ernie Els

Ernie Els, affectionately known as the "Big Easy," is a South African golfing legend whose career is marked by his big powerful golf swing, and his humility.  A four-time major champion and former world number 1, Els captivated audiences worldwide with his long drives, accurate iron play, and a calm demeanor that belies his fierce competitive spirit.  His relatively slow, yet powerful swing earned him the nickname, the "Big Easy".  Ernie did make the game look easy and never got rattled on the golf course.  He invariably had a smile on his face as he conquered each course he played, even in the toughest conditions and against the best opponents (normally Tiger Woods).

A Humble Southern Hemisphere Hero #2, Siya Kolisi

"Rise: A Siya Kolisi Story" is a powerful and inspiring documentary that chronicles the journey of Siya Kolisi, the first Black captain of the South African national rugby union team, the Springboks. The film delves into Kolisi's remarkable rise from poverty and adversity to become a national hero, leading the Springboks to a historic victory in the 2019 Rugby World Cup. He also led the team to victory in the subsequent Rugby World Cup last year in 2023.  He is one of only two captains to have achieved this in the history of the sport of rugby. 

A Humble Southern Hemisphere Hero #1: Leo Messi

Lionel "Leo" Messi may be a global icon today, but once upon a time he was a young boy with big dreams in a small town in Argentina called Rosario. At that time Argentinian economy was not doing well and the people were suffering. In Rosario itself the unemployment rate around then was at least 20%. Messi was born in 1987, the third child out of four in his family. His parents both had blue collar jobs and they lived a humble life. Young Leo followed his brother and cousins to play football (soccer) every day. It was Messi's grandmother that eventually bought the young man his first football boots when he was 8 years old.  

Who is the Greatest Of All Time in F1?

Hamilton is not the first world champion to move to Ferrari with grand ambitions.  But history offers mixed results for such high-profile moves.  Let us take a walk down memory lane shall we.

Hamilton announces 2025 move to Ferrari in F1 bombshell

The recent announcement of Lewis Hamilton's move to Ferrari in 2025 sent shockwaves through Formula One. Hamilton is a 7-time world champ and, arguably, the greatest ever F1 driver. Ferrari is the sport's most decorated team.

    The Ferrari team boasts an illustrious and successful history in Formula One, it has 16 World Constructors' Championships, the most in F1 history.  And it has 15 Drivers' Championship wins.  

King Khan

(Author's note: Originally published in 2010; I am reposting this now because squash is about to get voted on by the LA 2028 Organizing Committee)

In my youth the best squash players I heard about were the two consecutive World Champions from Pakistan, Jahangir Khan and then Jansher Khan.  Given how long they remained at the top of the game, I naturally assumed they were the two best squash players up to that point in history.  But recently I discovered that there was another Khan, named Hashim, who preceded the other two by about two decades. And Hashim Khan may just have been better, given what he achieved and how he did it.  Either way, these Khans are three of the best players to have ever played the game.  I am sure anyone in Pakistan would tell you they are the three best ever.

Marvelous Messi

Lionel Messi is arguably the greatest soccer player of all time. He has won a record seven Ballon d'Or awards, a record six European Golden Shoes, and in 2020 he was named to the Ballon d'Or Dream Team. Until leaving the club in 2021, he had spent his entire professional career with Barcelona in Spain, where he won a club-record 34 trophies, including ten La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey titles and the UEFA Champions League four times. With his country, he won the 2021 Copa América and the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The 2021 Copa América victory led Argentina to a spot in the 2022 Finalissima, where Messi was the winning captain. 

Novak Djokovic: The Greatest of All Time in Men's Tennis

As of today, June 11th 2023, Novak Djokovic has to be considered the Greatest Of All Time (GOAT) in men's tennis. He just won his 23rd Grand Slam singles titles, surpassing Rafael Nadal's total of 22, for the most in the sport's history. Djokovic has also been ranked world No. 1 for a record total of 387 weeks, and he has finished as the year-end No. 1 seven times on the ATP tour, more than any other male tennis player including the likes of Roger Federer, Ivan Lendl, Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Jim Courier, Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe or Björn Borg. Against this list of tennis players, he has won not only more Grand Slam titles than the rest, he’s also the only male player to have won all four Grand Slams twice, i.e., a 'sweep' of all four in one year.