Athletes should not be forced into seclusion the night before a game because it does absolutely nothing to help better their game.
Many coaches and administrators are under the impression that if they keep their athletes withdrawn from society, they will perform at a higher level in the competition. They think that being in a secluded area with no one around except their teammates, they will be more focused and prepared for the ensuing game.
However they are greatly deceived.
There is little to no correlation with an athlete’s performance on the field, court, track, etc and what they do the night before.
I have been an athlete since age seven – when I began playing softball, volleyball and a myriad of other sports. As the years went on, I competed in a variety of sporting events. Regardless of when the game was, I was still ready and prepared to play.
Sometimes I would go out with my friends and party until the wee hours of the morning and have to be up at 7:00 for a volleyball tournament.
Sometimes I would stay home and watch TV with my family and have to wake up at noon for a softball game the next afternoon.
It didn’t matter what I did the night before, because I knew I would have to be prepared to participate in the match. I knew what I was getting into when I partook in those activities so I would have to deal with whatever consequences came along with the fun.
Besides, when a team gets together the night before a match, how many of the players really go to sleep at a decent time to get the rest the seclusion is supposed to invoke?
Probably very few.
They will stay awake and have fun with each other – be it talking, playing cards or just plain old fooling around.
Then, the coaches have to deal with an entire team of tired and worn-out players instead of one or two who may be straggling behind the rest.
Furthermore, there are certain activities that could occur the previous night that could be deemed beneficial to a player’s performance.
Because they are being restrained, they may perform worse.
For example, some believe having sexual intercourse gives athletes an extra kick that will increase their productivity. They think interaction with the opposite sex stirs up the blood flow and relaxes the players, thereby allowing them to play even better.
“Sexual intercourse may relieve tension the night before the big game,” said Lewis Maharam, M.D., president of the American College of Sports Medicine’s Greater New York Chapter.
I for one don’t know if having sex the night before a game is beneficial, but I do know that seclusion is not beneficial. It has very little benefits and should therefore not be perpetuated.
Athletes should be allowed to do whatever they please the night before a sporting event as long as they come to the game ready both mentally and physically to play.
Dominique Drake, 19, is a sophomore business student from Cleveland. She is The Famuan’s sports editor. She can be reached at ddidis1@aol.com.