“Not only so but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.”
-Romans 5:3-4 (NIV)
The wise words above are part of the answer. Across the nation, we have raised a generation (maybe two) without the benefit of a moral compass. "Anything Goes", "Live and let live" and "Whatever" became the answer whenever there was a question about right and wrong.
And yet it seems like we are hearing more and more about athletes being diagnosed with this disorder.
The list includes:
Ricky Williams
Zach Greinke
Khalil Greene
Joey Votto
and Dontrelle Willis
and it's not entirely out of the range of possibility that this definition at least may have been the cause of Rick Ankiel's implosion as a major league pitcher and Chuck Knoblach's throwing difficulty in New York. Perhaps we can go as far back as the Mets Mackey Sasser and Padres Mike Ivie, whose inability to throw the ball back to the pitcher, derailed a catching career that was heralded as the second coming of Johnny Bench. Maybe "Steve Blass disease" was actually S.A.D.
SOCIAL ANXIETY DISORDER DEFINITION FROM WIKIPEDIA:
Social anxiety disorder (DSM-IV 300.23), also known as social anxiety[1] or social phobia[2] is a diagnosis within psychiatry and other mental health professions referring to excessive social anxiety (anxiety in social situations) [2] causing considerable distress and impaired ability to function in at least some areas of daily life. The diagnosis can be of a specific disorder (when only some particular situations are feared) or a generalized disorder. Generalized social anxiety disorder typically involves a persistent, intense, and chronic fear of being judged by others and of potentially being embarrassed or humiliated by one's own actions. These fears can be triggered by perceived or actual scrutiny by others. While the fear of social interaction may be recognized by the person as excessive or unreasonable, considerable difficulty can be encountered overcoming it. Approximately 13.3 percent of the general population may meet criteria for social anxiety disorder at some point in their lifetime, according to the highest survey estimate, with the male to female ratio being 1:1.5.[3]
Discipline in the schools and in the home were thrown by the wayside as parents feared an overreaching and ever watchful government eye when they dared apply discipline and schools just let bad behavior pollute the entire system.
Note: in a recent post we showed poll results indicating discipline is the top concern in school, above bullying and cheating.
Bullying 14%
Cheating 7%
Attendance 10%
Discipline 43%
All of the above 17%
Other 10%
It may be overly simplistic to some to attribute this rise to the "Everyone gets a trophy" mindset that seems to have taken over society in recent years, but it seems like a development that is worth keeping tabs on.
Apparently, 13% suffer from some form of this disorder, whether it's fear of public speaking, debilitating shyness, etc. that inhibits our careers out on Main Street, so it doesn't seem too far fetched to assume the athlete population would also weigh in at some level.
We seemingly can't comprehend how athletes, whose job it is to perform in intense, pressurized situations could suffer from this as mere mortals do. But it may just be that their athletic gifts allow them to cruise to a level where they have to struggle and face that "fear of failure on a high stage" that seems to be the precursor to the downward spiral.
It is interesting to note that Jayson Stark recently penned an article that directly and pointedly accused some organizations of using this disorder as an excuse to manipulate the placing of players on the disabled list in major league baseball.
Maybe he and his colleagues should have been that forthcoming and strident with the "whispers" they heard about PED abuse in the early days. The organizations may have had to face the music and look themselves in the mirror a little sooner.
I guess we may never go back to the good old days when guys just plain old sucked or were "choke artists". Have to have a fancy scientific name for it.
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