Maya Moore, arguably the best women’s basketball player in the world, announced that she will be taking a year away from basketball. In an article in The Players Tribune Maya said that “my focus in 2019 will not be on professional basketball, but will instead be on the people in my family, as well as on investing my time in some ministry dreams that have been stirring in my heart for many years.”
Now Maya is a professional athlete playing at the top of her game and women basketball players usually play year-round to subsidize their incomes. Maya’s announcement got me thinking, about the way we present sports to athletes. We ask them to start young, find a focus early, and commit year round. So the question that came to mind was, “do all athletes need to take a break from their sport at some point?”
When I finished my basketball career at the University of Minnesota, I didn’t touch a ball for a year or two after I graduated. I was anxious to pursue and do many of the things that I had missed for hoops. Eventually, I was drawn back to the sport that had become my passion and I found different ways to be around the game.
When I talk about giving athletes time off I’m not talking about taking an entire season off like Maya is doing. I’m talking about being aware that there is such a thing as burnout and life balance for our athletes. We take it for granted that athletes will miss family events, time spent with friends, and often they will miss out on participating in extracurricular activities. There just may be value in allowing your student-athlete to find a no sport-zone, allowing the body and mind to recuperate.
Recently I had a conversation with Natalie Darwitz former Olympian and Gopher hockey player and currently the head coach at Hamline University. She talked about the importance of making sure her team takes breaks when she senses their stress level is high. She may create a practice that is just centered around fun to remind them why they play the game in the first place. Yes, even college athletes need to be reminded that the game is fun!
It’s hard to know how much is too much and I’m sure it is different in each sport and for each individual athlete. But the next time you are sensing changes in attitude, interest in the sport declining or lack of motivation it might be time to ask yourself the question, could they use a break?
Henry Thomas spoke about his struggle with a knee injury when he attended Louisiana State University and how he ended up flunking out early in his freshman year. Feeling depressed, he knew he had to re-dedicate himself to football and school. Henry spoke honestly about how difficult college academics are and how important it is to hit the books in high school. Henry also spoke about his amazing career playing 14 years in the league, and becoming one of the 50 greatest players to ever play for the Vikings. He also shared how he struggled with depression when he retired as he had really only identified himself as an athlete. The young athletes felt his honesty, asking questions and listening intently to his story.
