Landon Donovan's Exclamation Point

As the minutes and seconds ticked away on the Unites States chances of advancing in the World Cup, it would have been easy for the Yanks to throw in the towel and accept the agonizing thought of coming so close to blowing the game wide open but never capitalizing on their chances. But like they did against Slovenia last week, the Americans continued to pound the opposing keeper and attacking the midfield with the same ferocity and swagger as they did early in the game. When Tim Howard started a breakaway in the 91st minute, Landon Donovan and three other Americans attacked as if they were in the first minute of their first game, not in the 91st minute of their third game in which two potential game-winning goals had been disallowed and countless other chances had been sent away. The result was Donovan putting a rebound in the back of the net, sending the Americans on to the knockout round as winners of their group for the first time since 1930 and announcing to the world that American soccer (not football) is a power to be reckoned with.
The Americans finish against Algeria illustrated the power of positive thinking in sports, in which athletic performance is greatly improved when a player is playing to win instead of trying not to lose. As we saw last week in game 7 of the NBA Finals, the team feeling the least amount of pressure was able to play without the creeping doubt that comes from thinking about the consequences of the result instead of the process of getting there. Even casual fans could see that the Celtics were playing not to lose instead of going after the win in the 4th quarter and the doubt started to enter their heads as the lead shrunk. After all, it is a normal human reaction to be much more terrified of the criticism that comes from underperforming than from seeking the praise that results from achievement. To say that people have a fear of failing is to say that they are human. Harsh criticism has much greater effect on the cognitive processes than being praised for doing something great.
As far as the Americans go in the World Cup, they proved that playing to win is much easier than playing not to lose. After they fell behind 2-0 in the first half against Slovenia, the pressure was off and the Americans played like they should have been playing the entire time: attacking without the incoming thought of negative consequences. To further illustrate this point, ESPN looked at every shootout from the World Cup, UEFA Champions League and European Championship and found that when a player has the opportunity to clinch the game, their success rate is 92%.When they take a shot that will cost them the game, their success rate falls to 62%, a staggering difference so great that it simply can’t be credited to chance or any other type of selection bias.
Recent research has shown that negative experiences activate the right prefrontal cortex of the brain, which is most often associated with fear and sadness. Once a person has failed in previous attempts, the thought of it happening again allows doubt and fear to creep into their cognitive process which often causes physiological as well as mental lapses. When those areas of the brain are not activated, the brain is able to concentrate on what it has trained the body to do, which for professional athletes, results in performing at a world-class level.
After the excitement and agony of the group stage, the Yanks have nothing to lose and are simply playing to win. A scary thought for the rest of the world.

How Vince Young's rise and fall Illustrate a growing problem in professional sports

With training camps set to open next month, Vince Young enters Titans camp as the definitive number one quarterback after leading the Titans to the brink of the playoffs after a dismal 0-6 start, capped by a 59-0 throttling at the hands of New England. In only 10 starts after taking over for Kerry Collins, Young threw for 1,879 yards and 10 touchdowns and lead the Titans to an 8-2 record, making them a trendy pick among NFL insiders to make the playoffs in 2010. Looking back, it’s hard to believe that not long before his resurrection, fans were wondering if Young would ever play again after it was reported that he was suicidal and hadn’t been in contact with his family or team.

When Young was found the next day, he stated that he simply needed to get away from the pressure of being a starting quarterback and the questions surrounding his poor start to the season. By this time, the groundwork had already been paved for the public to second guess him for not being tough enough to be a professional athlete. Nearly two years later in the May 31, 2010 issue of ESPN the Magazine, Carmen Renee Thompson continued to speak of his mental toughness by stating, “He says he was in no mood to talk after the game and got sick of friends and family clamoring to know he was okay.” She continued, “And ever since, he’s had to fight the perception that he was a headcase.”

If the public would have simply taken the Vince Young situation for what it was—a young professional struggling with adjustment disorder, likely a result of the growing changes and mounting pressure in his life—his abilities as a professional wouldn’t have been questioned as ruthlessly as they were. The sad part about the sports world is that most athletes are expected to be gladiators—robots who are immune to the pressures of performing at a high level without any sort of mental lapses, in the game or in life. Athletes simply aren’t allowed to struggle with mental illness and are stigmatized negatively by the public if they dare take any time off for something intangible that the fans can’t see. The fact is that mental illness is readily treatable today with positive prognoses that rivals most physical injuries in terms of time lost and recovery to full strength.

Delonte West of the Cleveland Cavaliers has struggled with Bipolar disorder and has been scrutinized by the Cavaliers organization for off the court incidents which were likely a result of the manic episodes he was experiencing as a result of his disorder. Instead of talking publicly about possible disciplinary actions for West, the Cavaliers would have been much better off treating West as if he had an injury and given him time to learn how to deal with the symptoms of his disorder.

Speaking on West, Kenneth Robbins, M.D., a professor of psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison stated, “If people don’t know what he’s going through, it runs the risk of further stigmatizing mental illness and looking like he’s taking advantage of the system,” he said. “But it’s also an opportunity to educate people and help them understand what he’s struggling with and how, with treatment, he’s likely to respond and these events will hopefully not continue to take place.”

With the lifetime prevalence rate of mental disorders at nearly 50%, it’s time that front offices and the general public gain an understanding that professional athletes are not immune to psychological and emotional crises and that they need treatment, not criticism.