After listening to an interview by Rebecca
Adlington on BBC Radio 4, I was taken aback firstly by how modest and humble
she was about her achievements, but more so by how wrong she was that being an
elite sportsman or woman was a selfish career choice.
One phrase nearly every elite athlete has used at least once is: "There is no I in team", and this phrase couldn’t be more correct. Behind
every great sportsman or woman there is a support team. When young, this may
consist of your family and one coach, but the older an athlete gets, the more
experienced and elite they become. This 'team' soon grows to a group of people
from physios to medics, psychologists to nutritionists. Adlington referred to
this as one of the reasons why being an athlete can be seen as selfish. It’s
not just the athlete doing something for them, there is a team of people
all working and striving towards one goal: to make that athlete the best that
they can be.
In the interview Adlington described how when she was much
younger her parents acted as this whole support team; from taxi driver to
nutritionist; time manager to physio; they became the only way she could manage
to continue swimming. She went on to explain how this eventually became too
much for her mum who was working full time and trying to care for the whole
family, so she ended up quitting her job. At this point, there was inevitable
financial stress on the family… but swimming was what Adlington loved, where she
excelled - and most parents wouldn’t dream of taking this away from their
child. Is this selfish? – Yes, maybe, but it was her parents' choice and they
decided to support her in her successes, so really this was selfless
of them?
Difficulies within families can arise when there is more than one
child, especially if there isn’t a common goal and passion for one sport
between them. This was the case with Adlington and with other sports stars such
as the diver Tom Daley. However hard parents, family and friends try to make it
a level playing field for all their children, when sport is
the focus for just one. It is often easier said than done. The balancing act a
parent has to make is to ensure all children are equally supported through
academia and health is challenging, so again, maybe this can be viewed as selfish. However, if you saw your sibling succeeding and working hard to achieve their
goal, perhaps this could have positive influences on the rest of the family?
One of Adlington’s main points was that being an athlete is
selfish from the perspective that they aren't doing something for the greater
good, perhaps like a career such as a doctor. So this is where I disagree most.
How can someone who acts as a role model, inspires others to take
part in physical activity and sport, shows practice, determination and hard work
means you can reach lifelong goals and additionally brings families and nations together, be
selfish? I’ve previously written about how the London 2012 Olympics brought
people together, put the UK and our outstanding athletes on a world stage – but
this is a key message for those humble sports men and women, you are so many
people’s role models. Sport stars can have a direct effects on some individuals, perhaps
through workshops, coaching and talks. Yet there are wider effect on the masses
that can make real differences to a population.
The snowball effect that large sporting competitions can have on
participation in sport, whether it is the Olympics, World Cup or World Championships
is vast. Through increase in participation comes a number or other benefits,
such as positive effects on individual physical and mental health and boosts to
the economy that are hard to quantify. It may be the effect of just one sports
man or woman, a combination of people or a team – however there is an effect
and this is critical. One of the greatest effects I’ve experienced through
sport and sporting stars is around the time of the Paralympics. Disability
sport was at the forefront, standing alone in the media spotlight. I believe during this time there was a change in attitude and approach towards individuals with
disabilities, focus was given to what they could achieve even under
constraints, not about what they could not achieve. Channel4 termed them Superhumans, and for good reason. The effects on a whole
population’s thoughts and feelings were altered, but what about the more
personal effects on individuals who may have struggled to come to terms with
their disability? The sportsmen and women who defy odds, break barriers and yet
still stay smiling are an inspiration to us all, but particularly those with
similar struggles. These sorts of effects are priceless.
So to any sports person, whether you are just starting out or at
the height of your career. Whether you notice it or not, if the direct benefits
aren’t initially obvious, somewhere out there you will be inspiring someone,
and so surely, that isn’t a bad thing. You make a difference, and that’s not
selfish.
