In The Skin of The Players Only those who have gone though situations similar to that of our football players have any idea of the terrible psychological pressure to which they are subjected. Suddenly, they are the focus of all the national and international attention, and hounded by journalists and photographers. They always run the risk of internalizing their notoriety as a form of demand: they feel forced to show that the image the public has formed of them corresponds to reality. The philosopher Nietzsche wondered if there could be a tragic donkey, and concluded: « Yes, tragic is the donkey that fell under the weigh of the load and could not stand up any more because of the weigh of that load. » Far be it from me to consider our football players donkeys (I would be the donkey!), but to me, it seems that their situation is like that of Nietzsche's donkey. From that perspective, it is easy to understand the fears and their apparently unprovoked indisposition, that function as super egos and emasculate their spontaneity and creativity. But the worst that can occur is the identification of the person with his image. The person is one thing; with the consciousness of its limits and, deep down, with the perception of its human frailty or even of its miserable character, as some football celebrities have shown, and the image of « the king of football », the « phenomenon » or the « greatest player of the world » is something entirely different. Who can vouch for the truth of these assertions? Only God, because our perceptions are human and, consequently, subjective and often questionable. Wise is the coach that reminds them of these truths, to protect the psychological health of his players. Wretched is the player who believes and identifies himself with such titles. That person is condemned to always act with an eye on the galleries. We know that person and image are never co-extensive. If the player is not self critical, an internal struggle will occur between the personal interior image and the exalted image others have of him. The interior image, being the truth, speaks louder and seeks to be heard. And if it is not heard, the player will end up punished by feeling frightened and insecure. This is where the internalized complaints that can destroy them come to play: Poor Ronaldo, if he cannot be the best player in the world in every game...! Thousands of explanations are instantly made up. Poor Ronaldiño Gaucho if he does not show his happy and devilish game! Unlucky Robinho if he cannot accomplish his famous dribbles and does not perform as an uncontrollable small phantom in the field! And thus, every one of them... How do we solve this impasse? I do not know. But I can think of a solution: the courage of the player to be himself and to accept himself just as he is. To that end, he must have internal autonomy and an intense dialogue with his deepest self. That attitude liberates the energies that make him an excellent, even brilliant, player. There is still a secret key that I heard from a young and gifted TV and film actor, sensitive to the spiritual world. She used to say: « I study my part and prepare myself as best as I can; but when I go on stage, I am as one who is going to act in the very presence of God, and I do it because I love God. I forget human expectations. In exchange, I gain an interior liberty that cannot be described .» Perhaps the players do not have such an intimacy with God, even though they frequently cross themselves. But they give their best to the symbolic representatives of God: the wife, the mother, the father, the sisters, the brothers... The ancient Church called God « ludens », a great player who created the universe for his own amusement and created us to take part of that. Is not football one such means? Leonardo Boff < http://leonardoboff.com/ > |