Second, not good enough: An analysis of the behaviour of athletes after the Olympic games
Matthew Halickman
April 16, 2014
Matthew Halickman
Kimberly Burton
Psychology 102
April 16, 2014
Second, not good enough: An analysis of the behaviour of athletes after the Olympic games
In sports there is a lot of achievements and a lot of disappointments. If we look at the 2014 Olympic winter games in Sochi we can definitely see the disappointment in the US women's hockey team after winning second place to Canada (Wharton, 2014). The US women found it difficult to deal with the fact that they came in second place especially after all the hard work and effort they put into winning gold both before and during the Olympic games (Wharton, 2014). According to Wharton, most athletes are happier with a bronze medal rather than a silver medal (2014). That being said, it can be concluded that if and athlete wins a bronze medal they can be happy due to the fact that they are officially an Olympic medalist but with silver athletes often regret not pushing that extra mile to win gold, even though they may have gave it there all (Wharton, 2014). If we take a look at American gymnast McKayla Maroney in the 2012 Olympic games, she came in second place because she fell on her vault and her smirk of dissatisfaction has now gone viral (Wharton, 2014). However, this is not the case for all athletes. Some athletes are very disappointed with third place or very happy with second (Wharton, 2014). All in all, winning a medal is great no matter what colour it is but sometimes athletes are left with a sense of dissatisfaction with the fact that that medal wasn't gold.
Coming short on goals can often leave people very emotional....
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...nd on pommel hoarse which I was relatively pleased with. Pommel hoarse has always been my demon in the gym and I was super excited that that was starting to change. But I wasn't thrilled with Gold on rings because as much as there is nothing higher than gold I could have always done that routine just a little bit better. Which leads me to the point that for many high level athletes gold isn't good enough because no matter how well you did it, it could have alway’s been just a little better.
References
Ciccarelli, S.K., White, J.N., Fritzley, V.H., Harrigan, T. (2013). Motivation and Emotion. Psychology (2nd Eds.) (352-395). Toronto: Pearson.
Wharton, D. (2014, February 22). Medal game is often a mental one at the Olympics. Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/2014/feb/22/sports/la-sp-sochi- bronze-age-20140223
Since 776 BCE, the Olympics have been a way for people of different cultures to come together and compete in friendly competition. In 1892 the first modern Olympics were held in Athens, although it had been over a thousand years since the last game it still had brought together an assortment of different religions and ethnic groups together. Many factors shaping the Olympic Games reflect the changes that have taken place in our world since the last game in 393 CE in Greece such changes include woman’s suffrage, global economy, world wars, and proving competency.
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What is excellence? Is it perfection, a goal, a feeling, a gift? To some athletes, it is an everyday challenge that comes easy; to others it might not be so easy. Whether it holds a psychological meaning or it’s just another goal to set, it shows a persons attitude and dedication towards a sport. To what extremes will people actually go to reach excellence? Some athletes strive so hard that they will try almost anything to reach their peak of excellence, the extremes that some go through to reach that peak may be either a safe or dangerous road to travel.
Athletes are often viewed specially because of their intense determination. They often beat themselves up in order to overcome what they think they can do. Breaking this threshold nearly always requires the overcoming of adversity. In sports psychology, when an athlete “not only makes it through [his] adversity, but acquires additional protective factors in the process”, he has undergone what is known as “resilient reintegration” (Galli, Nick, and Robin S. Vealey 318). This is especially the case when “an athlete returns with a greater appreciation of sport or a stronger work ethic than before” (319). According to exercise and sport scientist Galli’s study, athletes who overcame adversity were ninety percent more capable to cope with future adversities and perform “well in both sport and in life” (320). It is no surprise that people who have overcome adversities in their past are better suited to overcome them again. What is a surprise is how far this truly goes. In fact, this study shows that athletes who have returned from an
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...petitive sports can cause lasting harm and have no benefits for these children (Statsky 627), then examples of how childhood competition negatively affected individuals years after the fact would go a long way to proving her accusation. As Statsky's thesis rests on the assumption that adult imposition of competition and organization in children's sports makes the games neither satisfactory nor beneficial to the children, then lack of benefit must be shown along with lack of satisfaction. The existence of unsatisfied child athletes in organized sports is no indication that children are somehow unsuited to competition and team sports.
Llewellyn, M.P. (2011). ‘Olympic Games are an International Farce’. International Journal Of History Of Sport, 28(5), 751-772.
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Confucius once said, "he who does not do well is less guilty than he who pushes too hard." People found that competitive sports are often physically straining and it is detrimental to proper emotional development. This blows away the misconception that competitive sports create a healthy and engaging atmosphere for kids. This and an overly strong obsession with winning create a toxic mix for the child’s wellbeing. People have begun to realize the world of competitive may be doing more harm than good for their children. Parents have also begun to notice that competitive sports often injure their children severely and also make the child feel left out, which in turn is detrimental to the child 's emotional health. Therefore, competitive sports
Sports psychology continues to evolve in order to ensure that comprehensive and evidence-based psychological services are available for athletes and teams. Giving athletes an understanding of their psychological functioning, and building the ability to implement a range of psychological strategies in competition enables athletes to both execute their skills and thrive under pressure as they strive to reach their performance potential.
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