(My answer on Quora)
It is important to gain perspective here. Scotland only has a population of five million or so souls. It is a small nation. Taking this into account they have done rather well in several sports.
Scottish tennis player Andy Murray is regularly ranked just behind Djokovic, Federer and Nadal as the greatest tennis player of his generation. Murray has two Wimbledons, two Olympic golds and one US Open to his credit. Unfortunately his career has been hampered by injury. In all likelihood he would have won a few more slams.
In football/soccer Scotland has produced world class players in Kenny Dalglish, Dennis Law, Graeme Souness, Alan Hansen, John Grieg, Jim Baxter and Archie Gemmill. Scottish managers have often set the standard in British football boasting such luminaries as Alex Ferguson, Matt Busby, Bill Shankly and Jock Stein.
While it is true that the Scots haven’t qualified for the knockout stage of a World Cup finals tournament. They did carry the torch for the British Isles in World Cups 74 and 78 when the English failed to qualify. It was also a Scottish club, Glasgow Celtic in 1967, that became the first British team to win the European Cup - the forerunner to the Champions League.
In Formula One racing Jackie Stewart and Jim Clark - both multiple driver’s championship winners - were Scots. While the Rugby game can boast of such Scottish legends as Andy Irvine, Chris Paterson, David Sole and Gavin Hastings.
Of note as well is the exploits of 100m sprinter Alan Wells who took Gold at the event in the Moscow Olympics in 1980.
On the golfing stage the Scots have produced such notables as Sandy Lyle, Paul Lawrie, Bernard Gallacher and Colin Montgomerie.
In Boxing the names Ken Buchanan, Peter Keenan and now Josh Taylor have all made Scotland proud.
Not bad…for a nation that has less people than Massachusetts.
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