除了專業技術，成為頂尖運動員必須具備的人格特質

Thanks to Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, many athletes’ performance and their stories have been the most popular topics in the recent news. The Olympic Games are considered as the greatest sports competition to celebrate athletic achievements, and to inspire the next generation. Hence, sports media does not only release the results but also report more behind-the-scenes footage featuring the athletes. It is because the world audience curiosity has been aroused about how athletes win the game and break their personal records.

To begin with the athletes’ extraordinary careers, it is interesting to find that they have a lot in common. There are some important qualities which are shared by athletes. Lifelong discipline is the first requirement for every athlete. Good time management is an integral base for any sport. All the athletes conduct strict exercise regime and eating schedules. Particularly, in terms of young student players, they must seize the time for practice, school and gathering with family or friends.

Next, passion is a compulsory quality in order to have a strong inclination for the sport. An athlete must commit to the sport and invest a bunch of time and energy to engage in exercise. Without self-determination, the athlete cannot have the autonomy to reject any other enticement and to tune out any other distractions. Challenges are their daily routines. No matter how tough it is, an athlete cannot be satisfied with current performance and continuously strive for self-improvement. Even though facing failures every time, an athlete lusts for learning new techniques and is motivated to reach goals.

It is vital to understand that sports competitions bring a lot of pressure. Therefore, emotional maturity plays a crucial role in coping with pressure and in control of emotions, such as depression, anger, and nervousness. Strong mental health comes from self-confidence. An athlete must be fearless to tackle challenges and focus on the task at hand. An athlete usually moves and travels around for each competition all over the world. Hence, adaptability is very significant to adapt to different situations very quickly, such as jet lag, language barriers, and cultural norms.

Many people believe that star athletes are regarded as good role models, especially for young people. While athletes have great popularity not merely in sports fields but also in other parts of the world, they become branded celebrities, such as NBA basketball player, Michael Jordan, and international footballer, Cristiano Ronaldo. Mass media exposures their stories again and again so that it can attract the audience’s attention for watching the games. This is true power of star athletes. They specialize in their professional sports activities as well as have great impacts on their fans. The fans would follow the star athletes, and even aim to become someone like them in the future.

Therefore, in my opinion, I believe that star athletes are good role models. Those important qualities owned by athletes benefit to build a person’s characters. This is feasible in sports, and also in our lives. An athlete cannot cheat when competing in the games and must obey the rules. These moral and ethical values can teach young people to set their mind to be a better person. In addition, the value of hard work and how to deal with defeats can encourage the youth for the pursuit of greatness.

In conclusion, when fans follow closely the star athlete, the star athlete will change the fans’ behaviors. The star athlete can influence the fans’ behaviors which are consistent with his attitudes towards sport and life. Take Michael Jordan for example, he has been considered as “the greatest basketball player that has ever lived” with 6 Championship rings, 6 Final MVP’s and 5 NBA MVP’s. Because of his legendary “air time”, many people admire his performance, talents and skills. Some are even motivated by his achievements on and off the court. This could be seen by several NBA players regarded him as an inspirational mentor, such as Kobe Bryant, another great basketball player. Hence, a star athlete can actually change how the fans create their identity. Not to mention that their awareness can be easily spread and create a real dramatic educational impact.