In the modern world of professional sports we, the general public, are provided with
unique insights into the stress and expectations put on athletes to perform at the peak of
their skills on a daily basis. Media coverage of games is almost unlimited, with immediate
opinions cast and judgments made on every move and decision made by teams and
individual players. With the start of the 2016–17 NBA season fast approaching, this kind
of pressure has never been more evident than that currently on the Golden State Warriors.
To understand where this level
of scrutiny has come from, let's
flashback to last season: the
Warriors managed to break the
1995–96 Chicago Bulls’ all time
regular season wins total, a record
many thought would stand the test
of time, with a mind-boggling
73–9 record. Their floor leader,
Stephen Curry, was a repeat
MVP, and when they took a 3–1
lead in the Best of 7 Finals series,
most people thought it a forgone
conclusion that they would repeat
as champions.
In an unprecedented free agent
signing, the team managed to lure
former league MVP, Kevin Durant,
from the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Now, boasting an elite starting lineup, the pressure on the Warriors to
deliver another championship is at
an all-time high. They have created a
situation where anything less than a
championship will be deemed a failed
season in the eyes of the public.
Situations like this are one of the
things that make professional
sports so unique. We get to watch
these unscripted stories play out in
real time, with players’ thoughts,
Succumbing to the pressure of
reactions and emotions on full
history, the Warriors were unable
display. Today's exorbitant player
to close out the series. Ultimately,
salaries make it easy to be dismissive
the Cleveland Cavaliers made their
own NBA history, becoming the first of professional athlete stress—with
team ever to come back from a 3–1 all that money, how could their
deficit to win the Finals and, in the lives be difficult?—but despite
their celebrity status, these are still
process, cementing the legacy of
people being exposed to stress
their own superstar, LeBron James,
factors just like everyone else. Being
as one of the greatest players ever.
judged on every decision made and
It was a deflating loss for the
word spoken and being traded like
Warriors, with media and social
commodities is uncommon in most
commentators immediately
other workplaces.
questioning the team’s effort and
In professional sports, anything less
resolve. As is often the case in
than perfection can sometimes be
sports though, redemption was
deemed unworthy, and yet topics
not far off, and the Warriors were
surrounding depression and anxiety
able to turn the NBA landscape
are often not discussed at all. One
on its head during the off-season.
wonders if the 2015 story of former
Milwaukee Bucks forward Larry
Sanders, who walked away from the
NBA after 5 seasons citing mental
health reasons, is more prevalent
within professional sports than
most people realise. Moving
forward, we can only hope leagues
such as the NBA continue to expand
their efforts with education in
this space and to provide the
necessary support to affected
players.
The otherworldly skills of
professional athletes mean sports
are often viewed as some kind of
fantasy world. Presenting sports
as entertainment in a reality-based
setting will lead to increased public
understanding and acceptance of
the pressures facing professional
athletes and enhance the enjoyment
for fans everywhere. With that in
mind, and so much at stake for the
Golden State Warriors this season,
will we see them falter under the
stress of public expectations?
Or will the pressure build
to ultimately produce more
diamond-encrusted championship
rings?
Their story promises to provide
riveting viewing and personally, I
can't wait for tip-off.