Whether an athlete is recovering from an injury, or is under a large amount of stress from their sport and other stressors, seeing a sports psychologist can help. However, many athletes are afraid to meet with one, because they fear they will appear less threatening and they do not want to be thought of as crazy. Despite that, the job sports psychologists have is not trying to fix mentally unstable clients, but they are able to help athletes and coaches keep enjoying the sport they love, while doing so with good mental health. My research question is why athletes and coaches should start using sports psychology more.

The topic of sports psychology interests me because I have a passion for sports and I am majoring in psychology because I want to help people become their best possible selves. I have witnessed athletes crack under pressure, and take out their anger on their teammates or players on the other team. Whether it be in youth, college, or pro sports, athletes can be negatively affected from stress, needing to enhance their performance, recovering from injury, or dealing with the pressures of competition. Former Los Angeles Laker Ron Artest, NBA coach Phil Jackson, and the 2014-2015 University of Kentucky Men's Basketball team are a few examples of athletes and coaches who utilized the help of sports psychologists to help their performance. I want to work with athletes and coaches like these to help them perform at their best level. 

My personal knowledge with this research topic is when I ran cross country and track in high school, and when I run on my own now. Running is a mental sport, meaning that a runner's performance is based off of how strong they are mentally. From my experience, this research question affects my values because I personally understand the hardships that come out of needing to perform well, and how performance and competition can change how well a race goes. I am qualified to write about this topic because I have gone through what other athletes have, and I have seen stress affect coaches until they are close to quitting. I understand the importance of needing a sports psychologist, and from my psychology classes I have learned how much of an impact psychologists have on their clients.

In the 1999 newsletter from the University of North Texas Center for Sports Psychology and Performance Excellence, one article, titled "Why Do I Need Sports Psychology?" describes that while athletes and coaches realize that mental health is an important part of their careers, they spend little time training for it. The author, Trent A. Petrie states three reasons for why athletes and coaches do not do more for their mental health. Lack of time, fear of having to see a psychologist, and availability of sports psychologist services are the ones Petrie includes. The major values from this article are that sports psychologists from the University of North Texas want more athletes and coaches to actively seek out sports psychologists, even if they do not have mental issues, but so they can have a stronger, healthier mental state. This source is credible because the author has a Ph.D. and is a part of a team of sport psychologists who write for this medical newsletter for the university. 

Another source reports how seeing a sports psychologist does improve performance because the athlete or coach has a newly positive mindset. With a healthy mental state, and being physically ready, the athlete or coach will come out with an enthusiastic performance, recounts "Applied Sport Psychology: Enhancing Performance Using Psychological Skills Training". The major values at stake in this article are by using psychological skills, like relaxation, goal setting, and self-talk, sports psychologists can get athletes and coaches to perform at their peak level. This source is credible because the author, Roger Thetwell, from the University of Portsmouth wrote this article in a book, educating other psychologists about the benefits of sports psychology.

Furthermore, from "Why Are Some Athletes Reluctant to Use Sports Psychologists?" the author discusses reasons why athletes and coaches use a sports psychologist, and reasons why they resist meeting with one. The fear of being asked embarrassing questions, being scared that they will have to change who they are, and going outside of their comfort zone to talk to a psychologist are a few reasons why athletes and coaches are resisting help. The interest that the author, Bill Cole has for this article is that he wants more athletes and coaches to go to a sports psychologist because many people believe that if an athlete has to go to a psychologist, then obviously they have something wrong with them, which Cole finds ignorant. Cole is a credible source because he is a Founder and CEO of William B. Cole consultants, and if his research on the subject of sports psychology was not reliable, he could lose his license and hurt the field of sports psychology. He also includes a few examples of teams and golf players who have utilized sports psychologists, which proves to the audience that they are used in the everyday lives of athletes. 

This research question is arguable because some athletes and coaches would say that if they are not mentally unstable, then why should they meet with a sports psychologist? In actuality, sports psychologists are not just for the mentally ill. If an athlete or coach wants to go to a professional to have a more positive mindset, and be more enthusiastic for their sport, then sports psychologists will help. I would agree with the sources because it does not matter the level of performance of the athlete or coach, because everyone can benefit from learning how to manage stress, anger issues, and goal setting. The different perspectives from the sources add to my own belief that sports psychologist for every athlete and coach should meet with a psychologist to be mentally healthy. To revise my research question, I can also question the long-term benefits of athletes and coaches when they meet with a sports psychologist.

With the help of sports psychologists, athletes and coaches are able to see results in their stress management and they are able to make a positive impact on their playing and coaching performance.
