The Euro 2016 finals game just finished up and as I sit here watching them etch “Portugal” onto the trophy, I am not thinking about the fantastic game I just witnessed, but rather thinking about the role sports has to play in our lives as people. I’ve gone back and forth so many times on an urge to want to attempt to play professional sports (or at least attempt to) and it always leads me back to the same predicament. That predicament always formulates into the thought of “is it truly necessary to play professional sports?” For some, the obvious answer is yes. I used to think I was one of these people, so much so that I had geared AFL towards the prospect of attempting to play professional sports myself. Yet, the more I thought about it, the more I realized the truth of the matter, at least my truth in the matter.
For me, the more I thought about sports, the less attached I felt to professional sports. Now, do not get me wrong, professional sports are very important on multiple fronts. Not only do they provide us with entertainment, but they also show us the extreme heights of performance, almost a goal if you will, to aim for. Yet, I also believe that much like we do with rockstars, we tend to underthink the level of commitment required to professional sports. For example, these athletes are always on the move, always pushing their body to the brink of failure, and always playing to only win… after all, if they don’t win they don’t get paid (or at least not as much as they could). That’s pretty intense. I think about all this, and it truly is alluring. I love the sound of it all, except maybe the travelling part. Hell, if someone told me they would just feed me and give me a bed to sleep in (as well as for my family), then I’d probably play and train for free… but that’s not the world we live in, and truthfully, there is some realism in that matter. That realism is that not everyone will make it pro. Yet, in my opinion, that’s not what’s important at all. In my opinion, what’s important is that you have fun playing and take pride in playing to the best of your ability. Let me dive in a little further.
First things first. You have to have fun in whatever you are doing, whether it’s sports or a job, I am a firm believer that to be successful, you have to enjoy what you do. This applies to professional sports as well. I would bet that 99.9% of those players would be doing the exact same thing they are doing now if they didn’t get paid. Yes, of course they would need a job, and would only be able to spend a certain amount of time playing but the point is they would still be playing. Truthfully, it’s almost as if these players play for pure love of the game, and they just so happen to be good enough to get noticed and picked up. But honestly, there are also many players that may be just as skilled that don’t go professional. But the central theme, whether you play professional or a weekend warrior is that love for the game.
Next up, taking pride in your ability and the fact that you are giving it your all. To be honest, this is where I believe we all get trapped in the idea of professional sports. I know for me, this was the big one. Yes, I love playing the game, but I also love the training associated with it. I love the idea of getting better at something and striving to be the best in what you are trying to do. I like setting goals and then smashing through them. That’s why I am such a huge fan of weightlifting and sports. The only problem with this is that the goals you set are relative to you. Like I said, not everyone will make professional, so will the highest trophy you can achieve be the Champion’s Cup? Highly unlikely, but it sure is within sight to set your goals at your local league trophy. Hell, why not?! There is nothing wrong striving to be the best, as long as you enjoy the process. I spend two to three hours just in the soccer field by myself or with others training for the games. I’m 26 years old and playing in a B Division Sunday League, yet I enjoy the training and I enjoy doing well, so it’s time well spent for me. Now this is where my aspiration to play pro got all mixed up. I used to think that if you weren’t playing pro, why would you train? Why not just play your weekly game for fitness and go home? Realistically, my first experience of this was in Jiu Jitsu where my fellow training partners adopted a Jiu Jitsu lifestyle. I used to think this was ridiculous. They weren’t going to make it to the UFC, so why go so far to win a local tournament (some didn’t even compete in tournaments). I thought like this even after I had finished my time with martial arts and it only just recently hit me. These people didn’t think they were going to make the UFC, they simply just had a passion for Jiu Jitsu and ENJOYED the lifestyle, the same way I now enjoy soccer. I can now say I realize that you don’t need to be a professional to associate yourself with a sport/hobby and adopt the lifestyle. Again, the important thing is you enjoy it. I think the Crossfit movement has done a lot to bring this to people’s attention. We all know those people who have gone Paleo, and do WODs (Workout of the Day) every day and then brag about their “Fran” time. Aside from the fact that it gets repetitive, I understand what they are doing now. And truthfully, I think it is an important aspect for people, especially for those with chronic disease. To have something that is outside of your disease that you can associate with and put all your effort into gives you more than one definition for yourself. I began to think of myself more as Michael the Goalkeeper, rather than Michael the guy who suffers from Ulcerative Colitis. This, alone, can do wonders.
So I admit, like probably every other article, I’ve wandered from my initial target but that’s okay. I think I got what I wanted to get across, but let’s bring it all home anyway. Does professional sports need to be an end goal for you to enjoy sports and benefit from participating? Absolutely not. Is it “childish” to want to train and work at a sport to be the best you can be so that come game time you have improved? Again, absolutely not. I see it as no different from any other hobby. If you want to get good at painting, you paint often. To get good at a sport, you must practice that sport. One is not exclusive to adults and the other to children. That being said, I want to end on a quote from a book I recently read that I think illustrates everything I have been trying to say. The book is The Rise of Superman by Steven Kotler, and it is all about using “flow” to our advantage without having to be extreme sport athletes. His quote speaks of flow, however, I’ll get a little deeper. Anyway, Steven Kotler writes:
What’s painfully ironic here is that flow is a radical and alternative path to mastery only because we have decided that play – an activity fundamental to survival, tied to the greatest neurochemical rewards the brain can produce, and flat out necessary for achieving peak performance, creative brilliance, and overall life satisfaction – is a waste of time for adults.
Now, the important thing to distinguish right off the bat is that while Kotler is referring to play in terms of flow, this also applies to life in general, especially as a sufferer of chronic disease. I believe that fun and/or enjoyment needs to be central themes in anything you do, even if that means that you work all day waiting for your time in your sport in the evening. It doesn’t matter what level you play, be it Sunday leaguers or Semi-Pros, as long as you enjoy it. Life should be enjoyable, at least as enjoyable as we are able to make it.
So where does it leave me, on this journey to fight against chronic disease. Well, I no longer see the benefit it aiming everything towards a try-out if that’s not what I feel like is best for me. I have found myself in the beginning of this season to be enjoying soccer less and less with the increased pressure I was putting on myself trying to even find a try-out, nevermind making a team. And with that, I’d like to return to the fun of soccer, the fun of all sport in general really. I had been so focused on finding a try out that I was no longer weight lifting (something I enjoy to do), and soccer would leave me in a bundle of nerves for Sunday League, as if my try out success depended on it (no to say I still won’t get nervous because I probably will). Yet, most importantly is the message I want to get out about sport. The benefits don’t come only when you hit professional level. The benefits of sport and fitness are always there, regardless of level of play, as long as you are working hard and enjoying it. I found myself gearing AFL too much towards the success of a soccer career, with the notion that you can do anything you want if I can prove to you I can do a try out. But guess what, the fact that I can get up in the morning, and go to my games, win those games (regardless of level), proves to me that I’m already fighting back. Getting my degree also is a small victory. I’d still love a tryout with a Semi-pro/Pro team and if I got it great, but it’s not detrimental. This is about beating back disease using sport, by coming together as a community, and as inspiration to show that you too can fight back and live a normal life. I hope you all continue with me on this journey to fight back against diseases that plague people, and show them that we are in control of our day-to-day lives!