PSYCHOLOGY OF SPORTS.COM

FEBRUARY 14, 2009

The events surrounding Alex Rodriguez this past week were nothing short of a psychological feeding frenzy and pile-on. One did not have to look far to find yet another opinion about what should be done to, about and with Rodriguez. If we have nothing better to do, we can go back for a second helping when Rodriguez reports to spring training and pick any remaining juicy bits off of the leftover carcass.

What many of us don't realize, in all the fun, is that our behaviors and attitudes toward Rodriguez really are more about us than him; they are born of our own jealousies, angers, frustrations and imperfections.

A true physical baseball specimen if there ever was one, Rodriguez is seemingly able to do it all on the baseball field. He was the player who was going to "cleanly" pass Barry Bonds as the all-time homerun king, and put the sins and stains of the game behind us.
We became emotionally hooked and dependent, as we often do with sports figures and movie stars who we objectify and depersonalize. But it was our mistake to anoint Rodriguez in such a manner, as he was destined to disappoint us. He is a great player, but he is first and foremost, simply human.

What is Rodriguez guilty of? Getting paid exorbitant amounts of money, not getting along with all of his co-workers, being unfaithful, getting divorced while chasing after an older woman. Most recently of course he admitted to using illegal performance-enhancing substances, which revealed that he has previously been less than honest with his employers and us.
We each painted our own individual book of "shoulds" - what he should have done, what should happen to him - onto the psychological easel that is Rodriguez. How sanctimonious are we as we sit in judgment of one of us!

Last I looked, the divorce rate remains sky high, women and men are chasing each other at alarming rates, co-workers do not always get along and sometimes we even shoot our co-workers. Lying and corruption appears to be at an all time high, just read the front pages of our newspapers, or look at your bank accounts, lost homes or jobs. And by the way, when was the last time you went into your boss or employer and returned monies offered to you?

In terms of Rodriguez's admission about steroids, the use of performing-enhancing drugs is pervasive in the general population. Steroids and products like them are commonplace in many neighborhood gyms and have been used by student athletes. Legal and illegal performance-enhancing drugs are sold on the Internet like cheap candy, or obtained from either Canada or Mexico with impunity, in the form of Viagra, diet pills and over-the-counter products that help with focusing, relaxation and a plethora of other physical and psychological conditions. These products will continue to proliferate and be made available to those who want to get ahead or obtain an edge in their professional or personal lives, and will be fueled by the inevitable scientific gains and profit makers. But all this does not seem to matter when it comes to Rodriguez.

Maybe what really matters is that no one likes to see his or her own reflection in the mirror. It has been my experience that people are most venomous toward others when they see traits in others that they despise in themselves. Since these traits cannot be purged so quickly within ourselves, we attack the person with those traits like a pack of wolves. In this case it is Rodriquez. It will be someone else in a nano second, as our own hated selves seek another target.

I am not suggesting that Rodriguez's actions be condoned; hopefully he will get a just punishment. By all accounts he is a sensitive, proud man who craves attention. Like elite athletes and elite performers in any walk of life, he has spent an inordinate amount of time achieving his goals, and is a perfectionist, yet with deep-seated doubts about his abilities. The combination along with an apparent narcissistic tendency is probably what attracted him to drug use in the first place.

I have little doubt he is under tremendous emotional stress. He has most probably permanently stained his baseball legacy, and harmed his chances of going into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Moreover, we don't know what other potential legal or other sanctions await him.

The nation just went through what many deemed a transformational election, where President Barack Obama appealed to our better sides and forgiveness of others. We are faced with what at times appear to be insurmountable challenges as we seek to heal our country and recover. Just maybe there is room in all of this turmoil that we all created, to allow Alex Rodriguez to recover - because after all he is just one of us.