Bawlers: A Brief History Of Crying In Sports

Chris Bosh got a bit emotional after last night's brutal loss to the Magic, wiping away tears during his press conference. The internet's torn about this one, because we like to see that our athletes actually give a damn about winning and losing. On the other hand: a team with the second best record in the conference lost a game in early March. Crying's not acceptable in Bosh's situation. But is it ever?

Jeremy Roenick cries over the Blackhawks winning the Stanley Cup. J.R. last played for Chicago in 1996, when most of the current players were running around in short pants. These weren't friends and teammates. And besides, when a retired player goes to the broadcast booth, we expect them to at least pretend to be objective. Verdict: As Mike Milbury said, suck it up.

Adam Morrison cries over (not yet) losing an NCAA Tournament game. Ammo was a young man, in the heat of the greatest moment of his sporting life. A steal, a layup, and Gonzaga was shocked. The tears flowed freely. Verdict: There were still 2.6 seconds left on the clock. No fucking way that's allowable.

Tim Tebow loses the SEC Championship. The nation took a measure of schadenfreude from Tebow and the Gators losing to Alabama. But at least he waited until the game was over. Verdit: It takes a tough guy to be sensitive.

Terrell Owens defends Tony Romo. That's my quarterback! For a man with a documented history of problems with his QB, Owens preemptively took criticism of Romo pretty hard after a playoff loss. Verdict: Let's let it go. Defending a teammate is worthy of emotion.

Wayne Gretzky cries upon leaving Edmonton. Sure, The Trade wasn't Wayne's idea initially. But he did sign off on it, taking two of his buddies with him. Does that justify tears? Verdict: Acceptable. No one wants to play hockey in LA.

Marion Jones pleads guilty. Jones admitted to lying to federal investigators and taking steroids. We might cry to if we were headed to prison. Verdict: Acceptable. She's a lady!

Brett Favre retires. This was the first of three or four retirement press conferences, so it looks a little disingenuous now. Still, 16 years in one town is something. Verdict: In retrospect, it was all downhill after this. Glad he let them flow.

Mark Cuban cries at Dirk Nowitzki's MVP press conference. Yes, yes, we all love Dirk. Verdict: Hey, fun boys, get a room!

Wrestling fan cries at convention. If Jim Cornette and Terry Funk aren't enough to choke you up, you have no soul. Verdict: It's still real to me, damnit.