I am a modest sports fan.

Not one who sits watching obscure darts competitions at 3am, or who can name every NFL, Premier League and Shute Shield team. Nothing like that.

But I do enjoy watching football, cricket and occasionally other sports, with a devotion that Mrs Doyle sometimes finds wearing.

From this watching, in recent times, I have viewed some uplifting interactions, which have given me some pause for thought and cause for optimism.

One of the better quotes I have heard regarding sport is that sport does not grow or mould character; it simply reveals it.

If so, then while we will always have the stories of sports stars behaving badly, there is also much to admire, if only we care to look.

May I offer the following?

My “Exhibit A” is the recent retirement of Roger Federer.

At 41 he could, hardly surprisingly, not continue playing tennis at the highest level. He ends his career with 20 Grand Slam titles, six more than the previous record holder Pete Sampras.

He has, as I am sure you are aware, been passed by Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.

But the outpouring of admiration, even love, directed at Roger was not just for his tennis playing ability but for his character.

As one commentator accurately stated, ‘Roger Federer may not be the best tennis player ever, but he was the greatest.’

Basically, meaning that while others may have won more or more often, no one matched the class of Roger, both in how he played as an athlete and in how he played as a person.

If you want a clear example of this, I encourage you to go to Youtube and type in “Roger Federer Zizou”. A three-minute clip that will make your day.

It might even bring a tear to your eye and will certainly show what was meant by the claim that whether or not he was the best, Roger Federer was the greatest.

My “Exhibit B” was closer to home and perhaps less expected.

Watching the NRL finals recently, I was struck by the humility and class of Latrell Mitchell.

Now Latrell Mitchell is one of the best players going around.

He is a focal point for both his own team, the South Sydney Rabbitohs, and for any opposition.

During the leadup to what proved to be the Rabbitohs’ last game of the season, he took on an enormous amount of media and was, quite deliberately a bit of a “lair”, to use an out of date expression.

If his team was going to win, Latrell Mitchell needed to have a blinder.

Unfortunately for them, he did not. Mitchell had a very ordinary game by his standards, and the Rabbitohs were soundly defeated.

Hardly surprisingly, the media wanted his comments and sought him for such well before he had even left the field of play.

Now imagine yourself in this situation. You have been a focal point for enormous publicity. You are under significant pressure, you are exhausted and bitterly disappointed, and you almost certainly feel you let yourself and others down and probably feel humiliated.

I know I would not respond well in this situation. Particularly if a reporter who had just sat and watched all this came up and wanted “a comment”.

Yet Latrell Mitchell was everything I would struggle to be. He was polite, considered and humble to a fault.

He offered no excuses, gave credit where it was due and admitted his opposition had simply outplayed them. He offered no excuses, did not duck or deflect and “took it on the chin”.

I had always admired his talent, but watching this, I admired him.

He had no time to prepare, calm down or reflect. No publicist or coach was there to guide or direct. It was just him.

Later I found out that he had carried some quite significant injuries into the game, which inevitably impacted his performance.

But this was not offered as an excuse, he refused to diminish the achievement of his opposition.

Finally, I offer as “Exhibit C”, the final game of basketballer Lauren Jackson.

Not only Australia’s greatest basketballer but one of the best ever.

Some years retired and living in Albury, she began training for the recent Basketball World Cup for no other reason than the love of the game.

At 41, she had nothing to prove, no “unfinished business”, no golden handshake to get.

She played because she loved it. And she played the house down. She received player of the match and a bronze medal. Just because she loves the game.

Can I suggest that these three examples show that if sport reveals character, then in Roger, Latrell and Lauren have plenty to admire.

Bill Doyle, The Courier’s occasional guest columnist

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