In today's sporting world, elite athletes have various ways of expressing their joy.

Some of the world's top athletes are very conservative while others are very expressive.

During the recent Olympic Games a controversial question was asked worldwide concerning how one should or should not celebrate success.

Why is it that when an athlete expresses himself freely due to his appreciation for his hard work and efforts, some, if not many, people take offence to it?

All around the world, regardless of what sport, there are many athletes who celebrate in a unique way and it becomes known as their trademark.

Some accept it, appreciate it and celebrate with them while others have a hard time embracing the celebration and consider it showboating.

I look at Usain Bolt from Jamaica, for example. What is all the fuss about when it comes to this gentleman?

He is definitely the best at what he does and that pose that he strikes after he wins is simply his trademark. It is a way of him expressing his joy and delight to the crowd and to hype the crowd even more.

Some like it, some don't, but does it matter whether you like it or not?

What matters is that he is happy and that he will always be remembered for not just his talent, but for his posing and celebration as well.

In football you have Robbie Keane of Liverpool who every time he scores a goal, he does his famous role and machine gun action, or Nani of Manchester United who does his trademark flip. They, too, can be considered showboating, but at the end of the day that is who they are and their legacy will include the way that they celebrated.

What greater athlete showboated more than the great Muhammad Ali? He was simply the best of the best.

He would brag, intimidate and predict what round he would knock someone out in. Most loved him for it while others hated him.

However, through all of that, he will still be remembered as the best athlete ever in my eyes.

No other athlete that I have seen or come across comes close to displaying the confidence and self belief that he did.

Much like myself, people either love me or they hate me, but through it all you cannot take away anyone's accomplishments.

On the flip side you have the more conservative elite athletes like the Tiger Woodses, the Michael Jordans or the Sachin Tendulkars, the best of the best who rarely display their emotions unless in tight critical situations, but more humbly than others.

These are the athletes that most people seem to appreciate and respect. I guess it just goes to show that you can still be great and not have to show off or bring attention to yourself.

At the end of the day, though, I still say does it really matter?

Everyone is different and express themselves according to their personality. Who are we to pass judgment on them?

None of us know the struggles, or how many hours of training and hard work they had to put in to reach the level that they are at.

I say, so what if an athlete wants to express himself in an overconfident manner? Let him, as long as he has the skills and talent to back it up.

In closing, it is the quality of what the athlete does that is important.

Athletes have been and always will be role models. I bet you if you ask any kid that is into track right now, after watching the Olympic sprints, who do they aspire to be like when they grow up, they would say Usain Bolt.

Would you as a parent not want your child to aspire to be the next Usain Bolt?

Motto for the week:

You are never really playing an opponent. You are playing yourself, your own high standards and when you reach your limits, that is real joy.