The next couple of posts are based on observations of last year’s NFL playoffs, but, as usual the concepts are applicable to other sports, business, academics, arts, and any area of performance.
Based on the record TV ratings for this past Super Bowl, there is a good chance that a lot of you watched most, if not all, of the game. Many things contributed to the excitement of this game and playoff race from the perspective of sport psychology. Plus, I found myself watching more non-Eagles playoff games than ever this year. I attribute this to the fact that the Eagles were out of the playoff race in October. In past years when the Eagles did not make the playoffs, they were just on the bubble. For example, the Giants just edged the Eagles out for the NFC East championship last year and ultimately went on to win everything. In those years of near playoff misses and early playoff exits, I could not stomach watching another team go on to win because the sting of the Eagles losing was still fresh. Watching other teams make it to the big game was like pouring salt into a new wound. This year was different. I was able to put my Eagles bias aside and genuinely enjoy watching the playoffs unfold. I share this personal insight with you to illustrate the powerful influence sports can have over our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. I would like to explore four sport psychology topics that occurred in this post season that surrounded Robert Griffin III’s torn ACL, Colin Kaepernick’s potential introduction to superstardom, Joe Flacco’s recent comfort with being great, and communication on the field through body language. I’ve decided to break these topics into four separate segments to decrease the likelihood that you will ignore the posts because the length of all four combined.
Based on the record TV ratings for this past Super Bowl, there is a good chance that a lot of you watched most, if not all, of the game. Many things contributed to the excitement of this game and playoff race from the perspective of sport psychology. Plus, I found myself watching more non-Eagles playoff games than ever this year. I attribute this to the fact that the Eagles were out of the playoff race in October. In past years when the Eagles did not make the playoffs, they were just on the bubble. For example, the Giants just edged the Eagles out for the NFC East championship last year and ultimately went on to win everything. In those years of near playoff misses and early playoff exits, I could not stomach watching another team go on to win because the sting of the Eagles losing was still fresh. Watching other teams make it to the big game was like pouring salt into a new wound. This year was different. I was able to put my Eagles bias aside and genuinely enjoy watching the playoffs unfold. I share this personal insight with you to illustrate the powerful influence sports can have over our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. I would like to explore four sport psychology topics that occurred in this post season that surrounded Robert Griffin III’s torn ACL, Colin Kaepernick’s potential introduction to superstardom, Joe Flacco’s recent comfort with being great, and communication on the field through body language. I’ve decided to break these topics into four separate segments to decrease the likelihood that you will ignore the posts because the length of all four combined.
RSS Feed
