Much Like New Year’s Eve, The Sports World Is All About Change
As we approach a new year, we look forward to change. That’s the theme of New Year’s Eve, after all; one year changes into a new one, as we make resolutions to change and improve ourselves.
Change is also a prevalent theme across the athletic landscape, as the world of sports is in a constant state of change. Athletes are perpetually becoming bigger, stronger and faster; rulebooks are revised and updated nearly every offseason; leagues are expanding constantly; and athletic equipment is advancing nearly every day.
While most change is for the better, there are some cases where change has a negative impact on players, teams and sports in general. Lets take a look at some of the most prevalent changes in athletes over the years.
As we’ve mentioned in this space before, some athletes today have a sense of entitlement and a lack of character. And unfortunately, a lot of times, it’s the players with the most talent who carry that sense of entitlement.
Obviously not all talented players are entitled or have character issues, but it does seem to affect star athletes a bit more frequently. That’s likely due to the so-called perks of growing up a “star.” We’ve all heard stories of the high school football star that never had to take a test, or the highly-recruited basketball stud who received gifts. These things actually happen to young athletes with sky-high potential, and unfortunately, it helps to shape their worldview. They expect to get what they want because that’s the way it’s just always been, and that carries all the way through college and the pros. This is something that is becoming more and more of a problem in recent years as athletic star power is rocketing young athletes to lives and opportunities they could only dream of. While there are many athletes that handle this with grace and humility, far too often it has become the norm to see these superstars behaving selfishly and developing “me” first mentalities instead of “team” first mentalities.
But while a lot of that mentality is attributed to the way athletes are raised, we also have to credit some of it to the changes that have taken place in the professional athletic culture.
The day of the “athlete” is long gone, as the Jim Thorpes — or for a more recent reference — the LeBron Jameses and Russell Wilsons of the world are a dying breed. In the past, the players who made it to the professional ranks were typically the best all-around athletes; they were the three-sport stars in high school, simply gifted with the ability to pick up any sport and dominate.
Today, young athletes have access to sport-specific training and are typically on a one-sport track by the time they reach high school. Players are raised to develop a specific skill-set, as there are jobs available for players who hit the corner three exceptionally well, or are capable of hitting a hole with speed and power for a 10-yard gain. While this has taken away the all-around athlete and given us football, ice hockey, basketball or lacrosse players, it has greatly increased the speed, size and skill level of these players providing quantum leaps in the games themselves. So while the loss of the true athlete is upsetting, we cannot completely regret these changes as they have propelled our sports to a level of excellence previously unimaginable.
But this has also changed the mindset of athletes, as they’re no longer playing sports for fun, but for a potential paycheck.
Rather than playing games because they legitimately enjoy the sport, many of today’s young athletes think it’s all about getting a scholarship or trying to make it to the next level; and that leads to tunnel vision and a lack of creativity.
Sports — particularly for younger athletes — are supposed to be fun. While they should be taught how to play the game and use equipment properly, athletics shouldn’t be a rigid, work-like experience. Many athletes today are too literal and need direction, lacking the general ability to go out a play a game without instruction. Athletes are looking to be told what to do rather than going out and “making it happen.”
The world of sports needs more LeBron Jameses. That’s why our New Year’s resolution is to continue providing you and your team with fun, safe and comfortable custom mouthguards. And that’s something that won’t ever change.
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