The Motivated Athlete

Understand What Motivates You

What is motivation? Where does it come from? Why are you motivated? Are you motivated by positive consequences (winning)? Or are you motivated by negative experiences (losing, or fearing that you may lose)? Understanding what motivates you is the most valuable self-awareness you can have. As you get ready for your season, important questions to ask yourself are “What motivates me?” and “Why am I playing my sport this year?” (Additional questions related to motivation are provided at the end of this chapter.) We are all motivated for different reasons, and it is important for you to know why in your case. I say this because oftentimes we are motivated for negative reasons instead of positive ones.

The Externally Motivated Athlete

In the fall of 2015, Calvin Broudus, rapper Snoop Dogg’s son, left the UCLA football team. Broudus was one of the top receivers in the country, and he had been recruited out of high

school. The athlete made an announcement that he was leaving the team. Broudus said he had come to the realization that he had believed football was the only way to get his father’s

love. He went on to say that on his birthday his father told him that he loved him for who he was, whether a football player or not. Broudus then decided to stop playing football for one of

the country’s top-ranked college football teams. It was a very revealing turn of events, and gives us insight into motivation, relationships, and how dramatically all of this can impact how

you approach the game. This psychological breakthrough for Broudus yielded life-

changing clarity in his relationship to football. More importantly, it gave the athlete clarity about himself as a human being and about his relationship to his father. Broadus had external motivation to play football: to gain the approval and recognition of his father. My hope is that parents are supportive, and don’t pressure children to play sports or withhold love if they are not successful. However, this is not always the case. Other external motivators are things such as money, awards, recognition, and even just to attract members of the opposite sex. Broadus realized that he did not have a personal motivation to play football, and that he only did it for the affection of his father. One may wonder if he even enjoyed playing at all, and if he’d had this revelation earlier, would he have stopped playing then?