As a local sports psychologist, I have a full caseload of young elite Long Island star athletes who want fame.
Every gymnast I know wants to be the next Simone Biles and have her picture on a Wheaties box. Every young golfer wants to be the next Tiger Woods.
However, the journey to the top of the mountain brings much stress. This is why I’m so busy as a sports psychologist. Indeed, fame and recognition are wonderful, but there is a cost.
1) Simone Biles: Biles is a gymnast who can leap over 12 feet in the air during her floor routines and is considered to be the greatest gymnast in history. But she is also the one who experienced a psychological collapse during the Tokyo Olympics where she contracted a case of the ‘twisties” which forced her to withdraw during those games.
2) Michael Phelps: Phelps is considered the best swimmer in history with 23 gold medals. But shortly following the Tokyo Olympics he had a breakdown and was treated for depression.
3) Tiger Woods: Tiger Woods is thought to be the greatest golfer in history but his sex addiction led to a huge scandal, destroyed his reputation and cost him nearly $700 million in lost endorsement dollars.
4) Michael Jordan: The majestic Michael Jordan won 6 NBA titles and is considered by far the best basketball player of all time. He is also the guy that has bet $100,000 on a ‘rock, paper scissors” hand. His gambling addiction is well known.
5) Mike Tyson: The ferocious and intimidating “Iron Mike” was the youngest boxer in history to hold the heavyweight crown. He was the undisputed heavyweight title holder form 1987 to 1990 but by 1992 he was in prison serving six years for rape.
6) Naomi Osaka: Naomi Osaka was one of the highest earning female athletes in the world, having risen to #1 in the world by age 21. However in 2021 at the French Open she refused to give interviews, was fined $15,000 and promptly retired from the game citing mental health issues.
These stories all reveal the pressure that every competitive athlete feels. With fame expectation rise, more money is at stake, endorsements are given, the entourage gets bigger and public recognition goes through the roof.
One of my patients is so famous that when he vacations with his family he can never sit poolside with them since other hotel guests will be shooting photos of him which then go viral.
And when fame happens at a young age, the youngster does not have the defenses to deal with it and experiences anxiety, stress, anger, the yips and somatic issues.
Roger Federer was one exception. He came from an intact home and grew up in Basel, Switzerland where he learned his self restraint. He played multiple sports as a kid. He has been married to a supportive wife. All of these dynamics shielded him from collapse.
Much more frequently, when one achieves the greatest heights in a sport the price one pays is mental and physical exhaustion.
In “The Iliad” Achilles wonders if he should participate in the Trojan Wars. His mother answers that all men must take one of two paths in life.
They can either choose the path of domestic tranquility or they can choose the life of the warrior where they may achieve fame and immorality but their life will be short lived and filled with pain.
Fame is wonderful but it always comes with a price.
