During
the past year I’ve thought an awful lot about commitment, especially
what it means for youth sport athletes. In this time our oldest
son (now 15) has moved from an assortment of activities
– running, basketball, football, and volleyball – in order to focus on
his sport of choice, which is soccer. He has gradually
immersed himself in the practice tradition with hopes to see just how
good he can become.
His decision brings to mind a passage from philosopher William James.
In Psychology: The Briefer Course, James writes: “So the seeker
of his truest, strongest, deepest self must review the list carefully,
and pick out the one on which to stake his salvation. All other selves
thereupon become unreal, but the fortunes of
this self are real.” James was an unabashed advocate of the “strenuous
life” which included a modicum of potential risk and precipitousness. To
this point, a youth sport athlete commitment to a single sport
exemplifies the kind of strenuous life James had
in mind which could potentially lead to a life of significance.
James’
quote raises a number of pertinent questions not only for youth sport
athletes, but for their parents and guardians, coaches and youth sport
administrators as well. For example, what
does it mean for youth sport athletes to seek out this truest,
strongest, and deepest self? At what point in terms of physiological and
psychological development are they capable of making a fully informed
decision? If these athletes decide to specialize on
one sport, are their potential risks related their own health?
Similarly, to what extent does specialization potentially bring about
risks related to academic success, the development of social
relationships, or the potential of becoming self-absorbed and/or
tunnel-minded? Finally, by virtue of choosing only one sport, what is
the potential loss (and gain) in terms of other experiences?
Given
the limited scope of this post, I’ll take up just one question related
to James’ quote. When youth sport athletes choose to commit themselves
to soccer (or basketball, tennis, or any
other sport) we hope this commitment involves the athlete’s truest, strongest, deepest self, as opposed to a self which is projected by the
parents. When children are forced into a sports commitment, they
may end up hating the sport or the parent(s) or both. Conversely, when
children become gradually immersed in the sport practice community,
developing their own agency in addition to skill
acquisition and friendships, they potentially develop a lifelong love
affair with their sport of choice.
Making
a commitment, or deciding to specialize on one particular sport,
requires a deliberate focus on one pursuit, but at the same time pushes
aside alternative experiences and, potentially,
relationships. Athletes of all ages and levels need to be wary that the
pursuit of excellence, in the form of commitment is not without
inherent risk, ones that would cause concern, even for William James. As
Rick Reilly, columnist for ESPN the Magazine wrote
recently, “The price of greatness is more than you want to pay. The
world's most legendary athletes are usually the ones most wildly out of
balance. . . Andre Agassi grieves, to this day, the childhood he gave up
while hitting over a million practice balls.
Enjoy your heroes, but don't envy them.” Our own commitments, and those
of our children and other youngsters, bring about both opportunities
and consequences. We are prudent to think carefully, and help the youth
in our purview do the same, as we consider
our commitments to sport.
