9781422271155

Becoming a Sports Psychologist

One of the youngest disciplines of psychology, sports psychology has only become a viable career within the last several decades. However, as more and more psychological applications have demonstrated their value to athletes on the field, court, or rink, teams across many different sports have responded by hiring sports psychologists to help their players and coaches develop a winning mental approach to the game. Sports is a big business, after all: the most popular professional sports teams in the United States are valued at over one billion dollars each, while the highest-paid athletes can earn millions of dollars per year. In competitive activities like sports, a small advantage can result in many wins, meaning that teams are eager to find new ways to motivate and inspire their players, and to help their stars reach even greater heights. As our understanding of “sports” evolves, furthermore, to include competitions such as video games or relatively new sports like pickleball, these psychologists must adapt to provide new insights and help players develop better

11