King Leonidas, Sparta, Greece
Here’s another installment of the”7 things” article series, but with a bit of a twist.
7 men who represent what it is to be a real man.
When I think of what a real man is, I think of character, wisdom, resolve, and a guy who knows what’s important in life. He’s not perfect, but he tries his best.
I think of the guy who isn’t afraid to pull up his sleeves and get some work done, the guy who knows how to treat a woman, opens the door for her, protects her and brings home the bacon any way he can. A guy who would stop at nothing to make sure his family is safe and taken care of and a guy who takes pride in how he looks but doesn’t spend hours in front of the mirror getting ready.
He’s the throwback fighter who’ll never back down from a challenge, the ball player who won’t juice to get ahead, and the father who teaches his children about life more by example than words.
He’s a guy who’s proud but humble, loyal and takes a stance when he feels it’s needed. He has morals and he lives by them as best he can. He tries his best each and every day to live in a way he can be proud of. He’s an open book to the one’s he love’s most and the kind of guy that’ll give you the shirt off his back.
These men still exist, much of our fathers and grandfathers have shown us what real men are, but they aren’t a dime a dozen, not that they ever were. They’re a rare and special breed and here are 7 men who represent what it is to be that guy.
1. Lou Gehrig
With a nickname like, “the iron horse,” how could you not make this list? He had a great career until he was struck with the illness that would later take his life. He could have been bitter, he could have asked “why me?” But instead he was greatful for all he had been given.
Not only did he leave the game and this world with the utmost class, but he left us with one of the greatest speeches in history.
“Today, I consider myself one of the luckiest men on the face of this earth…”
2. James Braddock
It’s one of the toughest things being a father and a husband and not being able to provide for the people who rely on you and whom you care about more than anything. James Braddock appeared to have it all, a beautiful wife, a young family, and a promising career as a prize fighter and then came the Depression and a broken hand. His career was almost all but done, work was nearly impossible to find, but he did everything he possibly could to take care of his family without sacrificing what he believed in and the man he was.
His life is definitely an inspirational story, but also serves as a blueprint for what it is to be a real man.
3. Rocky Marciano
The guy was tough as nails, and he was an Italian. He’d take any amount of punishment he could to land that right hand he named “Suzie Q.” He finished his career with a perfect record of 49-0, with an 88% KO ratio.
But, accomplishments don’t make you a man, it’s how you accomplish something that says a lot more about who you are than what you’ve actually managed to achieve.
He was a tiny heavyweight standing only 5’10 and weighing 190 lbs or less. He didn’t have a whole lot of talent, but he worked his butt off and relied on heart and desire as much as he did his right hand. No other heavyweight has retired an undefeated champion and most, if not all other heavyweight champions were born with a whole lot more talent that Rocky was.
4. Abraham Lincoln
Lincoln was a wise man, he was also a tough man who faced a lot of adversity but always kept his whit’s about him. He became President at one of the toughest times in history and will be remembered as one of the greatest, if not the greatest American ever to live.
To this day he’s used as an example of a great leader. Here are a few of his words.
“Am I not destroying my enemies when I make friends of them?”
“Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.”
“Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.”
To be continued…
