The greatest gift we can receive is to have the chance, just once in our lives, to make a difference.
– Stephen Strange
Making a difference.
There are about 8 million people on this planet, and we’re each just one out of the crowd. Even comprehending such a ratio may be beyond the capability of the human brain, so it makes sense that there are deep psychological considerations behind this concept. And the fact that our desire to make a difference is often so profound explains why we may not behave the same way when the opportunity is presented.
In the context of sports, there are many ways through which one can engrave themselves in history. Winning championships, MVPs, and being recognized as an All-Star are all things elite athletes have on their personal radar – accomplishments that would save them a spot in sports history for all of eternity. In fact, these accolades may even earn them a spot in the Hall of Fame for their respective sport – which is one of, if not the most prestigious forms of recognition in the world of sports. However, there is another feat that an athlete can accomplish – a feat that is different from all others mentioned: breaking records. Many teams have won championships, and many players have won MVPs, since those honors are awarded annually. In addition, tens of players are named as All-Stars each year, and a handful are inducted into the Hall of Fame yearly as well. But to be the absolute best in even one particular category, to know that there is not a single human being on the planet who has excelled more, that is legendary on an entirely different scale.
With that being said, having the goal of setting a record can have a unique effect on the human brain. The idea of such an illustrious honor can take a psychological toll on even the most skilled athletes this world has ever seen.
On Tuesday, December 14th, 2021, Stephen Curry broke Ray Allen’s record for most 3-pointers in NBA history with 2,974 (and counting). Curry was already known by many as the greatest shooter the game of basketball has ever seen. And if there was ever any doubt about it, there isn’t one anymore. Stephen Curry has played less than 800 games in his NBA career, over 500 games less than Ray Allen had at the time that he reached the same milestone. Curry was already at the top of most of the 3-point lists, but this record in particular was the Holy Grail of shooting records. So when ‘number 30’ made history earlier this week, it was a pretty big deal.
When Steph was 10 three-pointers away from the record, the hype started to build up. Curry has scored 10 three-pointers in a single game 22 times in his career, the most by any player in NBA history (the next most is only 5 times, by Klay Thompson). So when he was 10 away from the record, fans thought he might get his 23rd game of the sort. However, it took him 3 games after that to break the record. His shooting splits in the first two of those games weren’t exactly spectacular – not bad at all for an average player, but by Curry standards, not the greatest. And it doesn’t matter much that it took a couple more games to reach the top, but it suggests something deeper about the psychological side of things. Why was it that the greatest shooter of all time, a player that can knock down shots when his team needs it the most, experienced this setback within those few specific games? Is it possible that even the best of the best can face psychological setbacks when presented with the opportunity to make history? We will never truly know if it was a result of psychology or just a regular shooting slump – but it’s interesting to wonder how the human brain functions in different situations, and how it deals with the idea of fame and glory.
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