ASK THE DOCTOR
Tee's Weekly Sports Psychology Advice Column
With Dr. Rachel Enakmas
Dr. Enakmas,
I saw highlights for the recent Virginia Tech vs. Duke game and the Hokies’ Deron Washington was obviously playing dirty. He was undercutting people, “accidentally” shoulder-bumping people during dead ball situations, kicking people, tripping people from behind, and fouling the hell out of people if they tried to take it to the basket. Why would an athlete seemingly lose his psychological focus and start trying to injure Duke players by illegally using his body?
R. Hurley
Jersey City, NJ
Dr. Mr. Hurley,
Because they wouldn’t let him take a knife out there, that’s why. Duke, like its coach, is a bunch of whiny, flopping cakeboys and I applaud Washington for playing the way I would play if I had the chance against Puke. The most effective way to play against Duke is the same way Tee’s Weekly’s own Crazy Dee plays PlayStation soccer: try to injure someone severely on every possession. You’ll be surprised what happens when the collective psychological conscience of a team is focused on a singular goal. “Try to injure” is a simple enough mantra for every player to focus on. The effectiveness of the mob mentality and group polarization has been well documented by Yalom and other great brain shrinkers. The more a coach can contribute to groupthink, the more wins the team will have against teams as soft as Duke. I say, keep up the good work, Deron—I hope they get another shot at Duke in the ACC tournament and that somebody’s career gets ended.
Dr. Enakmas
Dear Dr. Enakmas,
I play in an over-50 tennis league and I was recently scolded by some of my opponents and even my teammates. I know you’ve said in the past that people should try to play in an athletic league as long as they are alive because to do otherwise is to basically ask to die, but at what age is it inappropriate to “talk trash” to gain a psychological edge on an opponent?
Ettie Mae Johnson
Hurlock, MD
Dear Ettie Mae,
That’s an easy one. To quote my book first book on sports psychology, Playing For Keeps: How to Rip Off Their Heads and Shit Down Their Necks, “as long as someone is keeping score, there are taunts to hurl.” So if you hear someone say “15-love”, it’s okay to him or her no one loves them. However, the more important questions are how does one gain that mental edge and exactly what is good to say to an opponent to cause a momentary psychological breakdown? Studies have consistently shown that if you can find a person’s soft spot or psychological Achilles’ heel–the one subject no one else would dare breach–you can make your opponent crumble mentally. I also used to play tennis and I recall once at a critical point in a tennis match against an opponent who only had one arm (I’m not making it up, he was quite good despite a soft backhand). So right before he was about to toss his serve up (with the same hand with which he held his racket), I yelled across the court to remind him that he may be able to serve, but he'll never be able to clap. He double faulted and I was victorious. So, remember, if you’re keeping score it is completely appropriate to saying anything that might allow you to gain a psychological advantage. Please purchase my book, Playing for Keeps, for a list of the top 100 taunts of all time.
Dr. Enakmas
Dear. Dr. Enakmas,
I am in a relationship with someone who is an avid college sports fan, as am I. Early on, we decided that he could spend all Saturday afternoon watching his nationally ranked college football team. Come basketball season, we would cheer for my team. With a few minor exceptions, this has worked well–until now. His football team is coming off its most miserable year, while my basketball team is once again attaining national prominence. Our basketball teams met recently and I am concerned about the long-term psychological effect of his hearing things like: "I don't think so, Harangody!" and "Wow!
That was a real beat-down." Obviously, this extends to other family relationships as well. For instance, if Syracuse had beaten Georgetown in a recent game, the potential of a room full of cold shoulders at the next family gathering can't be healthy. Your guidance is appreciated.
Jaye McG
Atlanta, GA
Dear Jaye,
You are correct to be worried about long-term psychological effects. I just happened to be in attendance at 2007 Big East All-Rookie Team selection Luke Harangody’s worst game of the year. The same way Roy Hibbert made Harangody look like a thumb-sucking little 6’8” boy holding him to a season-low three field goals is probably the same way you made your partner feel by screaming at him while it was happening. As for the mental damage during family gatherings, one member of the relationship must denounce their team. This happened in my family because I have one parent from Villanova and one from Georgetown. We made the decision early in 1979 that we would pledge our allegiance to Georgetown, which has worked out great every year since–except 1985 when Gary McLain got a hold of some great blow. So, tell your partner that for the good of the relationship he must renounce his team before he takes another damaging beating. Don’t worry too much though–this type of beating is easier to take if your school’s admission policies have prevented the basketball team from ever winning a Big East regular season or tournament title and your football team hasn’t won a bowl game since 1994. Why would you want to root for that team anyway? The funny thing about raising your school’s standardized test levels for athletes is that it hurts the number of applications you receive from talented scholars and letters of intent you receive from talented athletes. So, if your administration’s goal is to decrease the overall amount of talent at your university, it’s critical it keep a close eye on its athletes’ SAT scores. Keep up the good work, Father Jenkins.
Dr. Enakmas
If you would like to have Dr. Rachel Enakmas answer your sports psychology question, please feel free to write to teesweekly@teesweekly.com