Peak Performance or Pressure Pitfall? Red Flags in Athletic Comparison
The NBA had 560 players total during the 2022-2023 season. The English Primer League has 603 footballers. 1.04 million high school students played football for their school in 2021. The realm of athletics is heavily populated, filled with talent, technique, and determination. From the early ages of recreational sports to the professional rosters of the world’s top athletic teams, comparison is making its presence known. Is this a good thing? Can athletes benefit from the push that comes with looking at a fellow athlete and comparing performance and achievements? Or is something more detrimental at work?
There is benefit to be found in healthy competition. It can foster the development of skills and increase performance levels. Healthy competition can aid in goal setting and building motivation to achieve those goals. When done productively, this competition, and sometimes comparison, is the push that athletes need to reach their goals and hit peak performance. But where is the line? How do we know when we have crossed over from healthy competition and motivation to the area of comparison that can cripple even the strongest athlete’s confidence?
There is no one-size-fits-all answer as each athlete is different. Each athlete has their own journey. Each path is filled with individualized twists and turns and no two roads look the same. There are, however, some red flags that we can look for.
#1: Mental health decline
Comparison can often cause an increase in both pressure and stress experienced by the athlete. This increase can lead to a decline in performance as well as take a toll on their overall well-being. An increase in stress levels is linked to elevated risks of depression and anxiety.
#2: Negative self-perception
When comparing game stats, progress in the gym, or the number of trophies won becomes the main focus of an athlete, their confidence and self-worth will take a hit. This leads to the development of a negative perception of self, causing feelings of inadequacy and inferiority.
#3: Doubt
Comparison is often the birthplace of doubt. It can create doubt in ability, doubt in worth, and in the cases of professional athletes, it can even create doubt of identity.
Knowing the warning signs of harmful comparison is vital for safeguarding athletes’ overall well-being. When mental health declines, both physical health and performance can follow. Identifying the areas where comparison creeps in and takes root can be the difference in winning or losing a game, building or tearing down confidence, and protecting or harming overall health and wellbeing.
Take some time to learn your own warning signs. Identify the areas where comparison is causing harm and target them. Need ideas for ways to do this? Send us a message and we will connect you with some resources to get started!
Author: Michaela Brooks M.Ed, LAPC, Doctoral Candidate
Purcell, R., Gwyther, K., & Rice, S. M. (2020). Mental health in elite athletes: Increased awareness requires an early intervention framework to respond to athlete needs. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 54(4), 216-217. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2019-101583
Sportsboom. (n.d.). How many players are in the NBA? Retrieved June 17, 2024, from https://www.sportsboom.com/en-us/nba/how-many-players-are-in-the-nba/
Transfermarkt. (n.d.). Premier League. Retrieved June 17, 2024, from https://www.transfermarkt.us/premier-league/startseite/wettbewerb/GB1
Football Foundation. (2023, July 25). Football by the numbers. Retrieved June 17, 2024, from https://footballfoundation.org/news/2023/7/25/football-by-the-numbers.aspx
