Arrogant or Confident

IMO Arrogance has a meaner edge.

Arrogant - I can do it because I am better than you

Confidence - I can do it because I know I can and have a history of performance.

In very simple terms

Confidence: I am good

Arrogance: I am better than you

Confidence: contagious.
Arrogance: acidic.

Arrogant is forgetting where you came from.

Non-arrogant is staying after a game to sign autographs for the little ones.

Attitude is like hustle it does not cost you anything.

Confidence is a mind set, if you feel good about yourself you will naturally do better.

We have a saying posted in the squad room here at work, it goes like this: "You can be tough as nails and still be a gentleman"

CV

Arrogant is the kid who needs to tell you how good he is.....
Confidence is the kid who shows you how good he is....

This is Mr. TPM's version:
Arrogant - My **** doesn't stink
Confident - My **** smells the same as everyone elses does!
Couldn't resist

For some the difference is in the eye of the beholder--I know players that are confident and arrogant at the same time and for some it aint a bad thing--it depends on how they carry themselves

But then I have a lot of Brooklyn and NYC in me so I may view things a bit differntly than others

At times, my son appears to be lacking in confidence. It stems from his extreme distaste for the arrogance displayed from time to time by various teammates. We always remind him to take care that he thinks neither too much nor too little of himself. But it is a fine line.

Agree with TR's "eye of the beholder" thought.

Regardless, if your good at something, both of those traits will be in your blood. Confidence is often viewed as a positive trait while arrogance is not a moniker we like to have attached. But try to find a successful and competitve athlete that does not have a streak of arrogance. I don't think it's possible.

Arrogance...Cubs

Confidence...White Sox

Go White Sox!

which players are better?
confident ones or arrogant ones?

A fine coach once said, " All the great baseball players have a little a** in them"

It's been said by many that every great athlete has a mean streak as well. I honestly think you will see all three traits in their blood.

TR ...

quote:

... so I may view things a bit differntly than others

Really got a chuckle out of that one ... just having followed some of your posts over the years, I thought it was a good explanation of your "perspective".

IMO, the concept that the perception is in the eye of the beholder fits well when looking at confidence vs arrogance. Sometimes, a good player ... who is confident in his abilities even when he has a "bad" game or rough outing ... may appear or be pereived as arrogant to those who don't understand how important confidence is in order for a player to come back after a rough game.

I also believe that there is more "I" in arrogance than confidence despite the differences in spelling.

As we have come to expect, Fungo is the king of topic starters - interesting topic and more complex now that I have read some of the responses.

I also think it depends on perspective and think there are varying degress of these traits ranging from mildly confident or content to exteme arrogance and disrespect for all around. It seems that whether you can even be truly arrogant or not somewhat depends on how good you are. For instance, some act arrogant to merely hide their innate insecurity about themselves. Others know they are good and don't mind letting you know they think they are better than you.

I know there are alot of Yankee fans on this site but I believe the Yankees and their fans serve as the ultimate metaphor for this topic. The Yankees have won more championships than any professional sports team in any sport. When the Yankees come to your town, their fans also show up big time and they love to rub-it-in, in a loud and in-your- face manner how their team is better than yours. Thus, no fans that I have been exposed to (as a group) are more arrogant than Yankees fans in general. Please know that some of the best fans I have ever met are also Yankees fans.

With respect to Yankee players, they have won so much that their confidence is extremely high and sometimes comes off as arrogance. I loved Reggie but many thought he was arrogant. Derrick Jeter is still their best player IMHO (A-Rod great too) and he probably walks the line between confidence and arrogance better than any athlete that I have seen. The way he carries himself exudes supreme confidence or arrogance (depending on one's view). When interviewed however, he comes across as a very intelligent person who always pays his opponents the respect they are due which is somewhat the antithesis of arrogance.

From what I have read about him, Ty Cobb may have been the most arrogant player of all time.

For "simplicity of illustration" purposes, I like the responses of...

AParent..."I'm good" vs. "I'm better than you"

CatcherMom...tells you they're good vs. shows you.

TR is also correct in that, based on the person making the evaluation, confidence and arrogance qualifications "float". I would think (based on my very finite observations) that arrogance would be obtained by someone much quicker in my eyes than that of TR...based on his "confidence" factor.

you dont have to be tough or have a mean streak. Greg Maddux doesn't scare anybody but people still dont want to face him b/c he has confidence in all of his pitches and usually always gets the job done. David Eckstein, Mike Lowell, Mark Grace. All the same way.

Beenthere

I think you meant

White Sox--Bravado

Arrogance - you applaud yourself

Confidence - you believe in yourself

I think you would find arrogance in someone who probably wasn't as confident as they would like to be. Someone who is truly confident is someone who doesn't always have to be "showing" or "saying" how good he is.

As a coach I want players to be confident and I want a bit of "arrogance" in them--not to a fault but enough so the opposition senses it

I consider it arrogance when a player overestimates his own ability and underestimates the abilities of his peers.

On the other hand, confidence is more a level of self-assurance that a player has when his skill has been developed sufficiently to give him the expectation of success, whether it be at bat, on the mound or in the field. It really is the reward of sustained hard work in the gym, in the batting cage, on the practice field, etc.

quote:

Originally posted by BeenthereIL:
Arrogance...Cubs

Confidence...White Sox

Go White Sox!

Arrogance: Pedro

Confidence: Dontrell

TR I totally agree. I want my players to be confident and have a "Swagger about them". You get that by putting in the hard work and dedication to the game. When you know that you have worked hard and put in the time to be good at something you are going to progect that in the way you approach the game. I like to see a kid step in the box and you can just see that he feels there is no way the pitcher can get him out. Or a pitcher that takes the hill and acts like he owns the batter. Arrogant players that can not back it up are just arrogant players. Confident players that act look and play like they are at home on the field are , well confident players.

Saw an interview with ex-pitcher Jack Morris last week. He said that during his career he was sometimes described as arrogant, but he preferred to think of himself as supremely self-confident. He said a truly successful pitcher is one who KNOWS he's going to win the game when he takes the mound.

Confident: Internal
Arrogant: External

Confident: the fans talk about what a great player he is, and the player lets his bat and glove do all the talking for him.

Arrogant: the player talks a lot about what a great player he is, and the fans complain that he doesn't do enough with his bat and glove and that he talks too much.