"Never forget where you come from." The idea is constantly reiterated and passed down in life; between world-class athletes, parents to children, friends leaving for new careers, in birthing rooms and death beds. Remembering your hometown, your family, and your culture is so important for those who come before you; regardless if you think so or not.
Sports takes this concept to a whole new level.
With the most recent generation of athletes being represented more publicly than ever with social media and increased television coverage, some of the behaviors from our idols can become almost an embarrassment to the sport itself. Rather than giving back to the sport that gave them so much, they take advantage; of not only the people who created them, but also the sport that has provided them with their fame.
Nowadays, so many people forget the very coaches and teammates that helped form and shape their character and skill. In the modern world, where being self-made is idealistic, it seems giving credit to someone other than yourself is almost a rare venture. Success, which is defined so vastly and uniquely to everyone, has become a part of standard-setting that athletes take advantage of with their coaches and their peers. Without success, coaches are discredited. Without success, athletes are discredited.
As a student-athlete, I have had many coaches through the years that would do absolutely anything to ensure my success and happiness in my sport. As a junior athlete (16-21 years old), my coach provided me with every possible opportunity to become better, at the expense of his retirement. He would spend nearly 30 hours per week during match season watching our training, coaching us, and providing transportation on his own dime. At the end of the season, he barely would even let us pay for his pizza at our end-of-year party. My coach is selfless, and he taught me to be selfless in the sport too.
How has athletics and the idea of giving back within sport gone by the way side? This is where the entitled athlete mindset comes in.
The entitled athlete believes that the game couldn’t exist without them. Or that the team would fail without their skill included. They can believe that they deserve more reward for less work or more reward for less contribution. These athletes can develop narcissistic tendencies, shown by giving less play time to others on the court, or discrediting teammates when they are successful. They can overvalue their own skill so drastically, that time and money demands for themselves come at a cost to their team or their program. The entitled athlete always claims to be self-taught.
Many would argue these qualities are necessary to be successful in the cut-throat world of sports. However, these arguments all fall short when asked the simple question:
“When your legacy is all that is left of you, will your successes outweigh the way you made people feel?” This is an important question to ask in all aspects of character.
What do we do when we recognize entitled athleticism? Remind these athletes of the people who built them from the ground up. Remind these athletes of the people who spend their own time and money, with their only reward in mind being to watch them succeed. Remind these athletes of the legacy they will one day leave, and the precedent image they are showing youth.
You know the saying, “don’t hate the player, hate the game?” Choose to become the player who changes the game.