Yesterday afternoon, in his 47th at bat since home run 599, Alex Rodriguez hit number 600. Cheers could be heard as baseball fans around the world (or at least in New York) tuned in to see how the milestone occurred. But, as the cheers died down, there was only one real question on everyone's mind: A-Rod, what took you so long?
Rodriguez has (and will) likely spend a good deal of time mulling over this question himself. Recent sport science research can also provide some answers to the question of why it took 47 at bats for Rodriguez to go from 599 to 600.
Ironically, as our desire for success increases, the likelihood of us actually succeeding decreases. This is especially true if fans, teammates, family, expect us to succeed. In these situations, is easy to choke under the pressure of expected success. This is especially true if one is an already established superstar.
Being at the top of your game can increase your chances of choking, at least according to Norwegian sport scientist Geir Jordet. He published a paper last year showing that the likelihood of a soccer player making an important penalty shot was inversely related to his status as a soccer superstar.1
Jordet analyzed videos from all soccer penalty shootouts taken over the last twenty-five years from the World Cup (1982-2006), the European Championships (1974-2004), and the UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) Champions League (1996-2007). In total, 366 kicks from 298 players were analyzed. Not surprisingly, at this high level, shots went in more often than not - overall about 74% of the shots were made. But Jordet found that the players who made the most shots were not always the ones you'd expect.
Those players who were the most publicly esteemed superstars - the recipients of prestigious soccer awards like the FIFA or South American player of the year - performed worse in major soccer penalty shootouts than players who had not yet received these major awards but would get them in the years to come. The current superstars scored only about 65% of their shots while the future superstar players were close to 90%. Why?
One reason is that current superstars feel more pressure to perform at a high level than those who have not yet made it all the way to the top. Superstars have the love of the fans behind them and also the huge expectations that come with their success, which can make them more self-conscious. With that heightened self-consciousness, they also pay increased attention to their own performance, which, unfortunately, results in more shots wide of the goal or more strikes when up at bat.
It all comes down to the dangers of thinking too much. As I talk about in my upcoming book CHOKE and as Dan Gilbert talks about when he describes my research in today's New York Times, attention to the details of your performance can be detrimental if you are a highly skilled athlete who, under normal conditions, executes his or her skill without too much conscious control. As an analogy, think about what would happen if I asked you to pay attention to how your knee was bending as you shuffled down the stairs, an activity you have performed countless times in the past. You might fall on your face. Devoting too much attention to fluid and highly practiced motor movements - whether it is your swing, shot, or locomotion - can disrupt them.
It isn't hard to imagine that as Alex Rodriguez kept stepping up to the plate to try to hit number 600, he felt the weight of everyone's expectations on his shoulders. Perhaps it was when Rodriguez finally stopped thinking about these expectations (and about his swing as well) that everything fell in to place. And, now that Rodriguez has entered into the elite group of 600 homerun hitters, less attention to the details of his swing is going to be all that much more important for achieving whatever record awaits him next.
1Jordet, G. (2009). When Superstars Flop: Public Status and Choking Under Pressure in International Soccer Penalty Shootouts. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 21, 125-130.
