Tiger Woods & Steelers Ben Roethlisberger Suspension: Play On & Off The Field

Taming the beast

By Derek Crouse

   In the last few months, Tiger Woods has shown that a loss of a mental edge can effect the execution of an athlete’s play. Whether it is how the person lives their lives outside the field or how they operate on the field, certain athletes need that psychological rush which drives them to victory.

   Athletic skill can be developed and improved through training. While many think of training as something where the body improves, the mind has to catch up and produce these great feats that we are in awe of. A quarterback that can throw a ball eighty yards on his knee also has to process so much information pre-snap and after the hike. A good example of this mental edge is the comparison to JaMarcus Russel and Tom Brady. If you took these two guys, based your opinions strictly on appearance of size and strength, Russel would win by disposition. Then when they take the field and you see how they lead the team, focus on the coverage and make decisions, you would feel like a fool when seeing that the less physical specimen is blowing the other player away. Brady is cerebral in his decisions and seems to be undistracted from any outside influences.

   Many athletes who take the field with the reckless abandon can produce great numbers. Lawrence Taylor would be a player under this category. He had the freedom to do basically whatever he wanted to do based on his view of the field at that time. That is a direct parallel of how he lived off the field. He loved the high paced action of the city. He had a deep affection for cocaine and women that he has talked about before. Recently, Taylor was arraigned on a rape charge, which involved a 15-year-old prostitute. Taylor drew that energy that he had for life off the field to the gridiron every Sunday.

   Will Ben Roethlisberger’s affinity for the young college girls make his mental game suffer? He is getting ready to serve his 4-6 game suspension for conduct off the field. Ben is known for play on the field where he takes so many chances. When a play would break down, he would run around the field taking chances on losing yards looking for an open receiver. Ironically, this can be said for how he chooses to live his life. He goes for his ultimate prize knowing that the consequences could be bad for him in the long run. If  Ben was to get sacked for a 10 yard loss or threw an interception, that one bad decision could effect a run at the playoffs.

   On the other hand, if he makes a bad decision in a bar with somebody that doesn’t give her consent, it can affect his life in the same way. Uncontrolled and irresponsible are some of the words that describe the man who is Ben Roethlisberger. The traits he is known for can be a blessing and a burden. If he has to curb his appetites off the field and walk the line, will his great knack for getting around trouble in the pocket suffer?

   By now we all know that Tiger Woods had a great ability for getting around being caught in a web of adultery and infidelity. Now that he has been found out and has been under so much scrutiny, the once killer instinct seems to have faltered. Tiger was always known for being so cool under pressure. If Tiger was the leader on Sunday before the last round, you could almost always put your money against the field and be a winner.

   The whole package he projects with the red shirt, the blocking of distractions, and the focus he had has all changed since his last Thanksgiving dinner when TMZ blew the doors open on his personal life. The squeaky clean image that every company would love for a pitchman is now tainted. He knows that the world is watching him under a microscope. The weight of that added with him wondering how his family will be constituted in the future has to hurt his game. He has a look of increasing frustration on the course that he probably has at home as well.

   The mental aspects of athletics are as important as the physical. When a player’s mind isn’t there, it almost acts as an injury. Nobody sees the guy limping on the field, but his body language and decisions he makes can give away his current lifestyle choices. When you lose that edge due to a physical injury, the effects are seen visually. Certain players live on the edge and at times it is why they are thriving in their respected sport. If fans want athletes to change how they live, don’t be surprised when your favorite player isn’t the ferocious animal he used to be...