The biggest narrative for every Indian that unfolded in 2023 was the ICC Men’s World Cup Final. A winning streak of ten matches, full of runs, wickets and broken records culminated into the final on 19th November 2023. However, fate, with its predilection for the unexpected, had more surprises in store. Australia, inspired by Travis Head’s knock of 137 shocked India to win their sixth Cricket World Cup title in front of around 125,000 stunned Indian fans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
As we come to terms with this heartbreaking loss, India finds itself gearing for its next challenge, the T20 World Cup and the most awaited Paris Olympics. As the athletes prepare themselves for these events, the Indian media is also gearing up to cover these events…events or the athletes themselves?
Looking back at the atmosphere leading up to the final, it was nothing short of a festival. Anticipation hung in the air, and the nation collectively held its breath, eager for India to clinch the title. However, was it the same for the athletes? India is a country of 13 billion people…and 13 billion opinions. All over the media, different opinions were seen to be trending, predictions were being made, every move of the athletes was being scrutinised. Some had already crowned Team India as the winners, some were expressing their doubt over the athletes’ form. Even today, we see controversies being created just for the sake of entertainment and engagement, private lives of athletes being brought into question and being scrutinised by everyone, even by those who have never played a sport in their lives.
Understanding these Forms of Negative Engagement
The media and journalism play a significant role in the entertainment sector, just as they do in the sports industry. The public is now allowed access not just to the professional lives of athletes and players, but also to their personal lives. With increased media attention the level of trolling and criticism of athlete’s every move has recently crossed its bounds. This behaviour is manifested in various forms such as –
- Breaching the athlete’s privacy by posting about family, friends, and personal life.
- Creating groups/social media pages for and against certain athletes.
- Trolling and posting criticism on public forums.
- Posting threats.
- Showcasing and promoting negative behaviours.
- Undermining officials and their decisions.
- Editing images and videos in a way that is biassed or false.
- Starting trends and controversies against athletes without knowing the entire truth.
- Publicly booing or trolling athletes.
What impact does this excessive media coverage have on an athlete’s Mind?
Athletes in general undergo several stressors related to their sporting careers. From playing conditions, maintaining their performance rate, constant travel, staying away from family to struggling for opportunities and politics, they have seen it all. Adding on to these already existing factors, this increased media attention is giving rise to new stressors that have potential impacts on their mental health.
Potential Effects of Media Attention
- Developing unrealistic expectations from self based on the predictions.
- Feeling the pressure of analysis when the media makes predictions based on their performance and statistics.
- Elevated stress and cognitive load.
- A feeling of always being followed or being observed.
- Constant fear of privacy being breached.
- Frequently thinking about trolls and criticism.
- Performance Anxiety.
- Losing interest in the game.
- Fearing the safety of family members.
These factors severely affect an athlete’s performance, no matter how elite the player is or how much they try to stay away from it all. As much love as Indian fans shower on their athletes, their hate also knows no bounds. However, on the other side of it, our athletes undergo several challenges to reach where they are today. As sport psychologists, it is our duty to emphasise that behind the performances that we see there is a much deeper process, of physical work, of mental work, of commitment and of dedication. It is crucial that we understand the impact of our actions, and respect the efforts of our athletes who give their everything for the nation’s pride.
As our athletes get themselves ready for these upcoming events, it is crucial that we too refrain from engaging in negative behaviours and support them to the fullest.
Rasika Kalgutkar, Sports Psychologist
Mindsports
Image Sources – news24online, ESPNIndia