How Great is the Cost of Winning?
08/09/22
Win, perform, succeed are terms perpetually used in sports. However, how often do we stop to question at what cost do we win? After all there’s always a sacrifice to achieving peak performance or winning, right? As a former athlete I’m not suggesting that sacrifice isn’t necessary to be a high level athlete, but I’m merely asking us to consider how great is the cost?
As athletes we are told from an early age that sacrifice, hard work, and commitment are all a part of the equation to being successful. I mostly agree, but I don’t think we’ve monitored to what ends athletes are willing to go to “be the best.” I think that’s part of why we are seeing this uptick in mental health concerns in athletic communities because we haven’t been intentional enough about asking the very question “at what cost” sooner. Now we are seeing a rise in suicide rates and mental health concerns among athletes and athletes getting burnt out quicker (Hensley-Clancy, 2022).
While there is no easy solution to this problem, I think there are a couple key things that can be done to begin asking more readily in sports environments this question of “at what cost?” in a way that could be helpful:
1.) Communicating to athletes their personhood is most important
This sounds obvious, but if I’m always being told as an athlete winning is the most important thing, that becomes my guide for how much I’m willing to sacrifice. This could lead to there being no limits to an athlete’s sacrifice to win, causing him/her significant harm. I think it’s about reorienting athletes to this idea that winning doesn’t always mean at the expense of your physical or mental health. Telling our athletes we value them as a person first, athlete second is a simple but impactful gesture.
2.) Manageable Sacrifice vs. Detrimental Sacrifice?
You can’t eliminate sacrifice as an athlete, but you can monitor it. I think athletes, coaches, and parents can start doing check-ins around this to start the dialogue. You can’t monitor something if you’re not talking about it. Think of sacrifice being on a spectrum, and ask either yourself or your athlete where do you fall? Also, it’s important to note here that every athlete’s definition of what’s manageable and detrimental varies, so don’t make assumptions. This conversation can open the door to a more in depth conversation of what changes might need to be made to better support the athlete.
3.) Sacrifice buffers
There is no perfect formula, but if we can be more proactive knowing athletes are going to make sacrifices that lead to stress, it can help us consider how can I better help myself or my athlete? This might mean going to counseling, spending more time with friends, meditation, or getting more sleep. The goal is not eliminating stress or sacrifice (that’s impossible), but keeping it manageable where the athlete can function at a relatively healthy level in and out of their sport.
References:
Hensley-Clancy, M. (2022, May 20). Reeling from suicides, college athletes press NCAA: ‘This is a crisis.’ Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/05/19/college-athletes-suicide-mental-health/