Sports and the people that abuse it!

I have been playing sport since the tender age of 3 and have had the opportunity to specialise in one or two sports - heavy training, intense focus, the works.... And to be very honest at this stage of my life I really don't mind what I play because I am just keen get out there and compete...

Now in my 20 years of sport I have had a wide range of involvement in many different ones; -Soccer,Hockey,Cricket,Baseball,Softball,Tennis,Squash,Action cricket,Golf etc.

I have coached, played, assisted and umpired - and regardless of what I have done, the same consistant trend has followed. Each of these sports requires a certain amount of time allocated to practise, understand and of course to play.

The scope of this blog or the question I am trying to fathom an answer to; is based on my own previous experience, in the last couple of years with one or more provincial, club and even a national team. Why spend all that time involved if you are not giving it your all?

In my mind if you want to compete, you not only need to be physically fit - and each sport has specific fitness requirements i.e. being able to swim 3Km might be a benefit from a stamina perspective but your not going to run the 100m's any faster - but mental fitness, being able to handle that BMT (Big match temperament) situation or pushing the body through that last bit of physical effort is such a rare quality (that can be nurtured if a willing participant is available) and definitely is the make or break of any good team.

Yogi Bera once said "Ninety percent of the game is half mental." Ok in fairness it doesn't really add up and may sound a little crazy, but he was American and a catcher (for the Yankees) - so you have to be a little lenient. He is right though in his way the game - in his case baseball, but it applies to everything - is 90% mental.

I am digressing a little here, but the point I am trying to make is preparation is a key component to being competitive... It boggles my mind to think that sportsmen (and women) tend to rely on God given talent even to provincial level. I have personally witness some really gifted sportsmen breakdown because they do not have the solid backup discussed in the previous paragraph.

I am constantly amazed at the outlook or approach that some of my team-mates will present in a given situation. Sporting codes aside, it is intensely frustrating to watch a team get selected, not on merit but on "who’s my best friend" or "the right colour" or "the best reputation"... This is just plain stupid unless your entire team selected on those criteria is actually the best in the relevant position (the odds of this are incalculable!). What is the point of playing a game if you don't want to be at your best? There is an argument about playing for fun - no one has fun if you’re not at your best, even in a drinking league. To watch your team crumble around you in a tough situation is probably the hardest feeling I have ever had to digest - I definately don't understand it. Maybe I just expect too much from people?

I will never forget when I played U10 baseball we had to learn this pledge:

"I trust in God,
I love my country and I will respect its laws,
I'll play fair and strive to win,
But win or lose I will always do my best!"

Pity more sportspeople weren't exposed to that as I child.