Having the opportunity to work with aspiring athletes, it is my feeling that proper academics, physical training and spiritual experiences must go hand in hand for a student-athlete to gain the maximum benefit from such a well-rounded and versatile learning experience.
Black athletes would be much better physical performers if they had more self-confidence. The mind is the manipulator of all action — physical, mental and/or spiritual.
How much better can they or need they be? Through my experiences, study and observations, it is clear that the physical, mental and spiritual must work together and toward the same outcome.
Black high school student athletes in Minnesota are at a disadvantage, because they do not get to learn about the glory and achievements of our fore-parents. Students of European backgrounds have a better chance at success, because they learn how successful they are and have been for centuries.
Our backdrop in high school is that we are the descendants of slaves who, according to history books, were little more than ignorant, ugly, stupid people who did Massa’s work. We, unlike our Caucasian classmates and teammates, are seldom if ever taught to read, compute or think. That legacy haunts us today.
Fortunately, there are some education leaders who see the need for additional information that tells students of Afrikan descent of our glorious past. The extent to which we can impress upon our youth that we are “somebody” is the extent to which we as a people will rise to greater accomplishments and contributions in our upward charge in this society.
We have witnessed prominent sports figures being penalized for allegedly using performance-enhancing substances. Little is said about the use of performance-limiting drugs.
According to the news outlets, Black athletes are more frequently accused of using performance-inhibiting substances. It is also clear that whichever performance- or mind-altering drugs one uses, one’s life will ultimately be damaged physically, psychologically, spiritually, or all three.
It is universally accepted that the mind, which is guided by the spirit, can cause grave danger to visit the body. It is after your playing days are over that most of the damage will reveal itself.
It is then that the athlete and the athlete’s family are expected to reap the benefits of long practices, lengthy team meetings (also known as skull practices), tedious weight training, and many times more money than either the player or the relatives ever imagined would be there’s. To say nothing about their new friends.
We sometimes wonder how truly great a person, let alone an athlete, could be if the three components of their life — physical, psychological and spiritual — were at a positive maximum level.
I know a former athlete, a college graduate, who said he never felt better than when he had one nice girlfriend, was playing a varsity sport, and worked hard enough in the classroom to get straight A’s. He went on to be a successful husband, father and professional service provider.
If we can keep our priorities in order, we can live peaceful yet exciting adult lives.
Kwame McDonald welcomes reader responses to kmcdonald@spokesman-recorder.com or by phone at 651-398-5278.
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