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How much are you willing to suffer?
– Unknown
Crabs in a Bucket. A term some of you may be familiar with, a representation of the phenomenon where individuals attempt to pull down those who are striving to succeed, mirroring the behavior of crabs in a bucket who similarly pull each other back down instead of allowing any of them to escape. In sports, this metaphor aptly captures the competitive, sometimes cutthroat environment athletes navigate.
The Mental Toll of Athletic Adversity
Being an athlete is as much a mental game as a physical one. The pressure to perform, the weight of expectations, and the constant scrutiny can take a significant toll on an athlete’s mental health. Adversity in the sports world comes in many different forms. These forms could include performance pressure, injuries, competition, public criticism, and self-doubt. Now I do not doubt that if you are an athlete, no matter if you’re still currently playing or have been retired for what feels like an eternity you have at some point in your career come face to face with one of these forms. Here is the kicker for most of us, it’s okay to accept that it’s not easy. Hell, most of the time in sports you’re left to pick up the pieces, not saying that you won’t have good moments, or times when you feel like you’re unstoppable, you’re merely the next victim of the exact opposite. It’s acknowledging that sports are tough and just like the times when we feel like we’ve conquered the struggle, there is a flip side, when we are lying on rock bottom..or at least what feels like it. To elaborate more, those times after a bad performance when you can’t sleep that night or bear the thought of failing again, the times when every cell in your body quivers at the thought of not succeeding. Those nights when you feel so sore and beat that you crawl into bed and can barely pull the sheets over you and the sensation of the cool waves of air from the fan you haven’t turned off in the better part of a decade caress your bare skin. Those are what some would consider the worst parts of the journey. I agree, those times happen a lot more than I think any of us would like to admit. It’s tough, it sucks, and none of us want to go through it. However, for the ones who want to be successful in their sport, job, or career they learn to overcome those slumps. As a good athlete, it’s not always about being the best player on the field or court, it’s just as much about how fast you as a player can overcome that slump because they will happen, they’re inevitable.
Solutions or Rather the Lack Thereof
As an athlete myself I can confidently admit that I don’t have the answers that you all are looking for. I can also proudly admit that I am an “Internalizer”. Yes, I know it’s not a good thing either. When we bottle things up, it’s like procrastinating, just instead of that overdue physics project that your mom is on your ass about to get done it’s your mental health. Internalizing on paper looks like an easy way to avoid your problems, however, if you’ve ever tried it then you can probably agree with me that it starts simple and slowly builds into the feeling of impending doom. No? Just me? Go figure. Sometimes, it’s okay to ignore minor inconveniences, MINOR. Hopefully, we’re all intelligent enough to realize what should and shouldn’t be ignored. Just be smart, I know it can be tough to decipher at times. But once you figure out how to be open and communicate what’s going on in your dome, you’ll be so much better off. Just trust it kiddo. In the meantime, I’ll leave you with this to chew on. As humans, we have evolved to develop a sophisticated ability to rationalize, analyze, and think because it’s necessary to survive. Our minds do an amazing job at keeping us alive and breathing, but it doesn’t allow us to thrive. It is only concerned with survival, not fulfillment, or joy.
Conclusion
Now let’s go back to the original thought. Crabs in a bucket. How to get over all of this detrimental b.s. There will always be someone who will never give you the recognition you think you deserve. Never, sure you may have that one friend who says they’re proud of you and all that jazz, which is good, keep that friend. But you’ll have that teammate, fan, or maybe even coach who just can’t fathom the idea that you overshadow their success. My coach? Indeed. We don’t live in a perfect world, it’s common, even in small towns just like big cities. Just ask Milwaukee Brewers Pitcher, Devin Williams—story for another time. But as soon as you realize that this shit isn’t fair you will be much better off. So in conclusion, be resilient, trust the process even though it’s cruel, and most importantly go earn that shit, even if you don’t get recognized for what you accomplished in your career, do it for yourself.