RAB Source Entry 1 — Joshua A.

Research Question –

How do negative emotions, such as rage and anger, impact an athlete’s performance in sports?

Proposal –

My research question is How do negative emotions, such as rage and anger, impact an athlete’s performance in sports? This topic interests me because I know how it feels to play a certain sport mad or filled with rage. I remember when I was playing basketball with my friends and I was just getting over a breakup so I was upset, mad, angry, and every emotion you can think of. I was playing so hard, fouling people and over to release my anger.  I know emotions play a part in the brain, so if you need your brain to know what you are doing on the court. How can you focus if your mind is elsewhere? I want to find out how the emotions really affect how a person performs. Also, If the different emotions affect people differently than others. Such as when someone overly happens, they play badly, or they are upset it makes them play better.

Part 1 MLA Citation

Taylor, Jim. “Sports: The Power of Emotions.” Psychology Today, 10 Dec. 2010, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-power-prime/201012/sports-the-power-emotions.

GRAPHIC ORGANIZER

MAIN IDEA (MI)- Negative Emotions affect performance if not handled properly.

SUPPORTING DETAIL: Negative emotions can affect a player mentally by altering their perception.

SUPPORTING DETAIL: Emotions can create regretful habits.

SUPPORTING DETAIL: Emotions can create regretful habits.

PART 2:  SUMMARY

In “Sports: The Power of Emotions”, author Jim Taylor discusses how emotions can affect performance if not handled properly. Negative emotions hurt performance in multiple ways one being physically. This results in muscle tension and loss of coordination. These emotions also hurt you mentally by making a player overthink about their abilities to achieve goals which can cause a decline in confidence. Since negative emotions can be so strong, these feelings cause you to lose focus on what you must do to perform well. Taylor states that these emotions come from past experiences in similar athletic situations and how “Your perceptions of the past impact your present even though the emotions may not be useful in the present situation.” The worst part about not handling these emotions properly is the habits that form as a direct response to what you’re feeling at that given moment. For example, when you see a player on TV getting violent as a result of his or her emotions, they’re self-destructing as a response to what they’re feeling which can become a common occurrence that can ruin the player’s image and the team’s performance. Taylor suggests asking yourself a few mental questions to determine if your emotions are equivalent to what caused them before you act.

PART 3: REFLECTION

This article makes me understand that emotions play a huge role in how athletes perform on the court or field. Emotions are very important to the human body not only do they help us communicate with others, but they also control the way we act as well. Dr. Taylor states “Emotions are often strong and can be troublesome when they linger and hurt your performances for a long period.” I agree that emotions can hurt athlete performances because when I used to get into a basketball game mad or upset. I noticed I was playing harder than I used to because the negative emotions were empowering me. After a while, my stamina wasn’t the same. I got tired faster than normal. I can confirm that when Dr. Taylor says that negative emotions can be caused by occurrences during the game such as bad calls and careless mistakes it is true. When I have so much anger built up, I can start to make bad plays, be a selfish player, or hurt my opponent to my advantage to win the game. However, those actions affect not only me but also my character as an athlete and a human. The writer reports that your emotions can hurt you mentally. I understand how they can affect a person mentally because once you start being accustomed to feeling negative emotions, those emotions turn to thoughts; then they become actions. Emotions are sometimes not being taken care of properly or looked at carefully.

PART 4: RHETORICAL ANALYSIS

The genre of this source is an article. The purpose of this is to inform. The writing style is factual, and the tone is candid. The audience is athletes and future athletes. The occasion for this article is that athletes tend to let their negative emotions control them while performing a play and in their day-to-day lives. The author Jim Taylor appeals to ethos and pathos because the author teaches at the University of San Francisco as well as discusses why one should allow themselves to allow their emotions to dictate their actions that ensure failure rather than accomplishments. This perspective from the author creates the emotional appeal of motivation. “Sports: The Power of Emotions” is a reliable source because the author is an educator and a doctor.

PART 5:  NOTABLE QUOTABLES

“Emotions are often strong and can be troublesome when they linger and hurt your performances for a long period.” (Taylor)

“Negative emotions can also hurt you mentally. Your emotions are telling you that, deep down, you’re not confident in your ability to perform well and achieve your competitive goals.” (Taylor)

“Negative emotions can be provoked by many occurrences during a competition including bad calls, senseless mistakes, making an error at a crucial point in the competition, and just performing poorly.” (Taylor)