Archive for Sports Psychology
Who Am I?
Posted by: | CommentsAccording to this ESPN story, that seems to be the question that Jennifer Capriati is having a difficult time answering right now. If you recall, or as the story will remind you, she was a tennis star at around age 13, who after falling out of the game, returned for a while, only to have to retire due to a few injuries.
As a professional athlete, I really feel for her, because I know this isn’t an easy thing. The question of an athlete’s true identity is often difficult to define apart from sports, because when you reach a certain level of success, most people begin to relate to you on the basis of your place as an athlete. Combine this with the tendency of every human heart to identify oneself with what one accomplishes, and athletic success often makes it difficult to really define who you are in any real and lasting fashion.
From a Christian perspective, the only real answer to this concern is Jesus Christ. Sure, as a Christian, I still struggle with viewing myself as God views me, but to a great degree I have found the freedom that I believe only Christ can give, so that when that question arises, “Who am I?”, there is an answer that doesn’t change. Indeed, by God’s grace, He used athletic success in my life to show me that I needed Him.
And interestingly enough, I have found that the more I find my identity and security in Christ, the more free I am to enjoy the game I so love and in turn, the more free I am to play it better. When you aren’t defined by how well you perform, there is much less heat to perform great. There is freedom. And where there is freedom, there should be great play.
Of course, there is more to it than that, but there certainly isn’t less. And even if you aren’t an athlete, you should have compassion for Capriati, because you are just as prone as her to seek your identity in what you do rather than whose you are.
The Gold Medal Game - A Lesson
Posted by: | CommentsIf you missed the hockey game between the USA and Canada yesterday, you missed out.
It’s rare that I would say such a thing about a hockey game, but I so thoroughly enjoyed watching the Gold Medal Game yesterday that I cannot help but believe it. Of course, I suppose such a statement is especially true for those folks from either the United States and Canada. But still, no matter where you are from, it was a great game.
As I said to Erin before the contest, it is impossible to draw up a better script. The USA team lost to Canada eight years ago in Salt Lake City. And here they meet again for the gold, in Vancouver nonetheless. Not only that, but the USA squad had already beaten the Canadians, just one week prior. And considering hockey is Canada’s sport, well, that just makes it all the more intense. Not to mention the two countries neighbor one another.
Canada got off to a 2-0 start, but the US team got a goal in the second period to cut the lead to one. The third period was full of intense play, but neither team could score. Until, of course, the USA removed their Goal-tender. With less than a minute to play the US scored to tie the game and send it into overtime…sudden death overtime.
Though I am not a hockey fan per se, I am a huge fan of hockey’s sudden death overtime. Sure, I know soccer and American football have it, but they can’t measure up to the intensity of a sudden death overtime hockey game. For only in hockey is the action so fast-paced that the game could literally be over at any moment. In soccer the shots on goal are pretty spaced out. And in American football, more times than not, a team drives methodically down the field in order to get into field goal range to end it.
So here you have one of the best match-ups in sports, some of the greatest hockey players in the world playing for their respective countries. And the game goes to sudden death overtime. Beautiful. I was tuned into every single move.
As you probably know, the Canadians ended up winning it. Good for them. Really, it was great for them. I felt for the American players, but after viewing such a contest as a fan, I really walked away satisfied. Sure, I wanted my USA guys to win, but I didn’t want them to win so much that I couldn’t handle the loss. Things were in their proper perspective. I was able to enjoy the game in all its facets for what it was: A game.
I don’t always watch or play games like this, but I want to. For I believe this is the way sports are meant to be played and enjoyed (and the way they are best played and enjoyed). Should we want to win? No doubt. But should we also be able to walk away satisfied after giving the game everything we had? Absolutely. And that rings true for both the players and fans.
Colt McCoy
Posted by: | CommentsMy buddy Larry Laz posted this interview with Colt McCoy over at his blog. What a great encouragement to see a young man trust in the Lord, even in the face of such disappointment. As a professional athlete myself, I can attest to the fact that such humility of heart is not an easy thing when so many thousands of hours have been invested into preparation for that moment. A moment that didn’t happen. Praise God he didn’t hold too tightly to his dream of a national championship, for in his response, the Lord certainly was glorified.
Such a perspective, by the way, is no doubt why he is often able to perform so well.
