Sports and Psychology – Quite the Combination
Mrunmayee Mainkar
FY BSC 2024-28
Estimated reading time ~ 3 minutes
I’m sure that you have heard about how both physical and mental health are required to lead a good life about 10000000 times now. As cliché as it sounds, it is particularly applicable in the field of sports. To play any sport, you need to be physically and mentally fit. Having clarity in your thoughts, having the right attitude and mindset towards learning new techniques, playing in matches with a positive outlook, garnering that feeling of togetherness as a team player are some aspects of being mentally fit in sports. Just having muscles stacked upon each other or having biceps the size of coconuts isn’t enough, your mind needs to be healthy too. This is where sports psychologists come into play. They are a crucial part of the field of sports and are just as important as physical fitness trainers and coaches.
Sports psychology is basically studying the effects of sports, processes and psychological bias. It explores in depth how psychological factors influence a player and the way he/she plays a sport. The history of sports psychology is quite notable. It is quite inconsistent, as the field was developed not by researchers but by sports instructors. The term “sports psychology” was first used in the year 1900 by French historian Pierre de Coubertin, who was also a co-founder of the International Olympic Committee. In 1879, Wlihelm Wundt established the first psychology laboratory, where the first experiments of sports psychology were conducted. In Europe, sports psychology was majorly developed in Germany. Dr. Carl Liem founded the first sports psychology laboratory in Berlin in the late 1920s.
Now, what exactly requires the presence of a sports psychologist in the lives of sportspersons? They are required when sportspersons want to improve their game by learning how to manage their stress and anxiety, improve the way they work with their teams, handle expectations, pressure (both internal and external), dealing with losses, facing mental barriers, and so on. Sports psychologists assist sportspersons in developing mental endurance, strength and self-belief. World-famous basketball legend Michael Jordan is a great example of using sports psychology for building up his team work skills and has helped him immensely in improving his game. His mentor, George Mumford, who has also mentored other legends like the late Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal alias Shaq, etc., had helped him in improving in court leadership skills, resulting in many victories. Another great example is Simone Biles. One of the GOAT of gymnastics, the woman is considered the most decorated gymnast in history. However, with great achievements comes great pressure. She has spoken up multiple times about how beneficial sports psychology is, not just to someone who is in a position like hers, but all athletes and sportspersons. She had also withdrawn from the Tokyo Olympics in 2020 to focus on her mental wellbeing. With the help of the sports psychologist Robert Andrews, Biles has improved her performance.
The field of sports psychology is extremely lucrative. The field of technology which is used in sports psychology is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 22.5% from 2024-2032, which is quite beneficial for further development of this field. North America, Pacific Asia and Europe are the areas where sports psychology is quite popular. Some famous sports psychologists are Dr. Carol Dweck, Dr. Steve Peters, Dr. Jim Loehr, Dr. Roberta Kraus, etc.
While this field is famous and necessary, it also faces a lot of stigma. Sportspersons seeking help is, many-a-times, considered as a sign of weakness rather than building strength. Sportspersons’ resilience is questioned, which ultimately makes them and others doubt their ability. Sports psychology is often confused with the traditional form of therapy, not realising that it is more about building endurance and mental power rather than curing a mental illness. Often, to appear picture-perfect to the fans, athletes hide or refuse to seek help, as a sign of insecurity. There are many other such stigmas which the field of sports psychology aims to bring to light.
Sports is a field which requires a lot of mental support and strength. You can be at the zenith of physical fitness, but if your mental health is at an all time low, it’s of no use. Many people tend to underestimate the importance of sports psychologists in the lives of sportspersons, due to the typical mentality of “mental health issues are for weak people”. It’s not about being weak, it’s about the fact that sportspersons are humans too, and like anyone else they do require professional assistance regarding the same. Being able to run 100 metres in 9.58 seconds or vaulting 20 feet over the ground does not mean that the person is not susceptible to mental health issues. Due to the stigma that still exists in society regarding mental health, this field isn’t talked about that much. This field deserves so much more attention and hype, as it has the power to change the lives of so many upcoming and aspiring sportspersons.