The Essence of Sport Is To improve Mental Health; Not Break It Down

Has sport at the Olympic level lost its essence and morphed into an athlete becoming the symbol of a sport vs the participant in sport?   When that line is crossed, lessons no longer have meaning, and the athlete now represents more than her or himself.  As a symbol, the athlete now represents agents, corporations, governing bodies, marketing firms, and sponsors AND all THEIR agendas.  That is a dangerous place to be.

I always thought that the essence of sport is for us to find our ourselves.  To learn how to perfect a skill.  To learn how to exercise mind control.  To accept the ups and downs that mirror real life.  To learn to overcome setbacks and to accept victory in a humble way.

I always thought that the essence of sport is to set goals and learn how to achieve them no matter how high or hard or how long it takes to accomplish.

I always thought that the essence of sport is to find your demon, confront it and defeat it. To learn how to overcome mental blocks and debilitating defeats.  To teach us about ourselves and to carry those lessons into real life.

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Bethany`s Notes: As the NCAA moves into an era of NIL (name, image, likeness) perhaps the above article will remind us what sport was initially about. How will student-athletes who use the NIL balance sport, academics, and the expectations of their new support...are we missing the mark?