The Eagles Are Having Fun

This print is in my office to remind athletes of the importance of having fun while competing. In a way sport psychology is an attempt to help athletes mentally return to that time when sports were free of pressure and filled with joy; when we were six years old and pretending we were as fast as the Flash, as powerful as the Hulk, or as passionate as Brian Dawkins. When this mental state is achieved, performance is maximized and the athlete is likely to get in the zone.

Zach Ertz, tight end of the Super Bowl bound Philadelphia Eagles, wrote a great piece in The Players' Tribune (linked below) in which the following quote captures his season and one of the biggest reasons for the team's success, "I've never had more fun playing football than I've had this year." As many athletes climb the success ladder and earn a coveted spot on elite teams it is often forgotten to soak up as much fun as often as possible. Sports, unfortunately for many,  become so important and serious that athletes will say to me that fun no longer matters and it is all about winning. Don't get me wrong winning is important. Athletes see me to return to winning ways. A win for the Eagles on February 4th would be incredibly important to the city of Philadelphia. Winning when embattled in fierce competition is the most fun part of the competition. But winning and fun go hand in hand and this team is a radiant example of this concept. The point is that you don't have to exclude or forego fun in your pursuit of greatness. 

Ertz talks about the strong and valuable bond between the current teammates on the Eagles. He mentions last year when Carson Wentz asked him how he was doing during a rough time. Wentz emotionally picked Ertz up by telling him he was going to be fine. This team genuinely seems to care about each other which can be powerful in moments of doubt, high pressure, injury, and failure.  In those moments of doubt, these players probably dig a little deeper because they want to succeed, not only for themself, but for the guys around them. This bond doesn't just exist between players. Based on press conferences, interviews, and post-win speeches it seems that head coach, Doug Pederson cares about his players both as performers and as people. This care contains an apparent mutual respect between players and coach. When a team has cohesion, love for each other, and mutual respect... Well, we will see Super Bowl Sunday.
https://www.theplayerstribune.com/zach-ertz-eagles-playoffs/

​*If you're interested in this concept, apply it to your own professional life. Think about how much the level of fun impacted your experience, motivation, anxiety, endurance, and overall performance. Those job we hated probably received the minimum effort and poor performance whereas fun jobs earned maximum effort and best performance.
​Please feel free to comment, even if it is a prediction for the game.