Just go with me on this one. It's only Wednesday so the region championship game hasn't been played yet. However, I'm guessing most people won't be reading this until sometime after the game. I'm hoping Beulah won but if not, who cares. "What? Did he really just say that? Who cares? I care!" many people might be thinking. The reason I feel this way is simple. In a few years, all it's going to be is a cool story to tell to your friends.
Of course I want them to win. I want them to win very badly. I'm going to cheer until my voice goes out and after that I'll have to just keep clapping. However, at the end of the day, win or lose, life goes on. There are so many more things to look forward to. I wish everyone realized this, not just the players. Fans and parents put too much pressure on high school athletes.
Pressure can be one of the biggest influences on someones performance. People crack under pressure. It happens. Some people may play well under pressure but that doesn't mean they're better with it. I feel bad for the players that have the pressure of an elephant on their back. Maybe they can deal with it well? I just know that it affected me in wrestling and that's not even close to as big of a stage as basketball.
I think people need to lay off high school atheletes. It's not the pros. No ones getting paid to do it. They're out there for fun, so just let them be. Let them have fun. After the game don't worry about who won or lost, go congratulate the players for all of their success and hard work.
This has some really good points, I know that parents put way too much pressure on their kids to be the best at sports and in school. Good job!
ReplyDeleteI agree with the whole idea about peers and parents putting far too much pressure on high school athletes. When you think about it, it is all just for fun. You can also relate to this from your wrestling experiences.
ReplyDeleteI really appreciated this because looking at our crowd last night, I could tell some of the parents are far too concerned with a win or a loss. It actually can get quite embarassing. I feel as if when the students and parents are getting too into the game, and are being negative and rude, then the players play bad. I know for a fact that they can feel the negativity in the gym. During the regional championship in volleyball this year the fourth game we played was horrible. The Beulah crowd was quiet, the team was sad, and we lost. I think that no matter what the outcome, people need to realize that the way we support our team makes a big impact on their performance. Good job, I'm really glad you wrote about this! :)
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading this! I thought the first paragraph was super funny because I didn't read this until after the game. You made some very good points and I completly agree with you. Losing the game was hard for everyone and it was a super emotional day, but life does move on now. Our boys basketball team was under a huge amount of pressure and that probably wasn't good for them. Parents and fans need to learn to lay off on the pressure sometimes. Thank you so much for writing about this!
ReplyDeleteI really loved reading what you have wrote. Im glad that you see it like you and that you are not afraid to put it out there because you believe in something different than most people. I agree 100% with this blog. GREAT JOB!
ReplyDeleteThis was a very honest blog and turned out to be true. The boys did crack under pressure. I believe it was the 1st in state and have to win pressure that caused the loss. The personal comment about wrestling really added a lot to the blog.
ReplyDeleteHunter, very honest writing. You are taking real life topics and saying something that is resonating with those around you. You flesh out your points and come at this topic from a very mature stance. Your personal experiences have helped you understand the issues of expectations. Again--proofread. A few typos and one awkward sentence--it might be missing a word.
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