How Does Internal Competition Affect Team Dynamics and Mental Health in Sports?

people against each other? For any reason, right? Let's figure out what's going on with you as a coach to where you feel like that's a good strategy to help your team perform better. And the thing is, we're talking about athletes and working with athletes and helping them the piece that's missing is the coaches needed to Yeah, the coaches needed just as much because they're under immense amount of pressure, this is their actual job on the line,

Dr. Raquel Martin: this is their job. Like if something happens, I mean, they'll be out, the students will probably still have a scholarship may not be as bad, but they're also young, these young men and women, you got a wife, or a husband. And once you're fired, that's it, you're gone. And then usually when a coach gets fired, gets fired, all those players who have scholarships, all that stuff is up in the air now, because that coach wants you on

to the team. Just like when Coach prime went to Colorado, and he told those kids, go and pack your bags, I got Louis, I'm bringing my Louis, you know, whatever, go ahead and getting the portal, EEG, pretty much good at the team. And these players had scholarships, and were promised certain things. But when the coach leaves, they all gotta go. And so I would say, look, coaches don't put your players against each other, because they come until people like me and Dr. Martin, that

this is happening. And it really makes sense. What's going on when she was a coach, and we need to go talk to you and give you some sessions. Yeah, Dr. Raquel Martin: because I think the thought process is that it'll drive them both to be bit better, like the players. But what I have noticed is that at the end of the day, y'all all

are a team. And I've seen it mess up, like the dynamics between, you know, at the end of the day, we might be in the same position, but you got to know your players, team sport, you got to know your players and know what motivates your players and not thinking that being yelling, yelling or you know, being this abrasive guy works for everybody. You have to know your players and know how to get the best out of them. And working

with people. I mean, we can help you discover that. Yeah, Dr. Raquel Martin: so I would say working with an organization like yours help systems to discover that because that's what it is, at the end of the day, the same way I work in the corporate space about you know, every single individual that you're, if you're a supervisor and stuff like that, you need to know what works for them. Coaches is the same way. Yes, some people will do better with just being like, Alright, I need

you to be, you know, do better with the harsh stuff. But I just think like the, you can't treat everybody the same. And I could see it being a shortcut. Because it's like, I mean, this work with 27 players who said I won't work with the next 27 the player who broke down, that's who? That's right. That's that it's not gonna work. So I would say be more unique. But yeah, I've seen that a couple a couple times. It's like, yeah, we're

supposed to be competing against each other. And I'm like, Man, that's weird to you supposed to be like with somebody all the time. And then you got another adult who's like the real adult in the room saying like, I ain't sure I mean, that's your teammate, but that's your competition. What made let me say this, to some degree. Yes, you have to compete with your teammates. Yeah, but it doesn't

have to be like a malicious type of deal. Like a malicious that's exactly what I was telling our teammates, he'll get better. Right? Yeah. The harder you compete against each other practice is shows up during the game. But it's not like, Man, I'm trying to knock you out. I don't even want you a team like, no, it's Oh, yeah. But do you need to have that healthy competition is what I'm saying here. Dr. Raquel Martin: Yeah, so I would say the balance between

healthy competition right. I think when I'm with the people brought me it wasn't healthy. Yeah. And I also have seen for the most part that there always seems to be some aspect of hazing, on teams with the new movies or whatever coming in. I'd be like, Man, I know you happen to be a freshman. But it's one of those parts of the sports culture that needs

to change. You can Dr. Raquel Martin: get them the best out of them for four years, but then you, you do so much with them and the first year and it's not even just you with the other players, because it's like they had to go through to that you lost yourself a good player, they want to give you four good years in lieu, it goes into the pros. It doesn't stop in college sports. Hey, isn't in the pros. Yeah.

Dr. Raquel Martin: And they don't get banned. Like if you're a private organization, and we started hazing bands off campus sports will you know, it makes them better players. I'm like criminal charges, like you get charged. Yeah. Dr. Raquel Martin: There are a whole organization. I was at first for the longest, and we didn't have we had like little to no Greek organizations, because it was just like, yeah, they know what they did. Yeah, they know what they did. They're

not coming back for years. You better hope you see him in the four years that you're there. Well, Eric K Park, thank you so much for coming to the show. Tell the people where they can find you and also talk about your conference because I'll also be speaking at that conference. I'm really excited. I'm on LinkedIn here, k part or Instagram, Eric K Park, you can go to relate to athletes.com. To learn more about how we work with athletes that relate to athletes Summit

is Friday, April the 19th. Here in Nashville, Tennessee, we've partnered up with ABC Sports and Burrell collective, which is a collective, they're not a collective like in the sense of a sports collective, which is another thing. But we partnered up to present the NIO education and mental health summit with Dr. Maurice is going to be there and she's gonna, I'm expecting you to be like the one that bring it bring it down. You know, I'm saying I

Dr. Raquel Martin: hope so. You know, athletes is like a big, I'm like, I'm gonna start I'm trying to get more into lifting weights. And I'm like, Man, when I started, like really getting into it, I my walk on stages is gonna be doing like a bunch of like, because you do not have to get their respect, you also have to shake. So I'm Eli, I'm gonna just have a pull up bar up there and be like, alright, this is gonna be interesting as far as that. So the setup is

going to be real athletic. And so I think it might be a different vibe for you. But hey, I step up to the challenge. Like like Dr. Raquel Martin: a super intense realm. You don't have a house full of men no. More so towards a setup like that we've worked with at the venue is not what you would traditionally think you're on a stage and talking to people. You can be right there with the

athletes on so that's what we're looking for. It's a whole day to where we are going to be educating the student athletes, coaches and other sports enthusiast about nio. And the thing about Nio is it's some colleges like it, the idea of it some don't because NFL throws the ball in the in the students hands because they can leave your school at anytime because another school offers them a better opportunity to make money

off of their name, image and likeness. And so some schools don't like it, some schools like it, but we're going to break it down. We got some experts coming from different parts of the country to talk about Nio and then we're going to give the athletes and everybody in attendance. Some things that they can do mental health wise because we want to make sure

that we're balancing sports with mental wellness. And so we're gonna have a fun day at Lipscomb Academy here in Nashville you can go to RTI summit.com To find out more and we really hope to see you there that that our partner or sponsoring partners US bank so they've pretty much paid for the registration for all people so if you're in Nashville or wherever you are, you want to be in Nashville on April the 19th you can attend this summit at no charge to you, we just ask that you call ready

to learn and to move around a little bit and have some fun with this. Bring Dr. Raquel Martin: your energy Yeah, so that'll be linked in the show notes. I'm also gonna be telling my students about it because they there's no class on Fridays. Yeah, so I love that. Yeah, and I mean honestly no of my students because when I taught intro to psych it was a lot more athletes in that class no one them they will just miss it anyway because I have

no tissue last year we hosted it. They were there he was on a Friday last year and we had an issue students we actually partnered with Tsu athletics they have a program called the becoming program for them So here they're going to be bringing a cohort of athletes and so respect tissue have a

good a good group. They're Dr. Raquel Martin: good Yeah, I have one I have one pretty specific athlete who tells me he's been in my class a bunch of times playing football and I'm like if you come late to my class one day I'm gonna find a way to track at Georgia stop cutting my class late I find a way they used to come to class I used to teach it to you should it had a little form that they brought for the professors to sign do they not do that anymore? Dr. Raquel Martin: Now for me really?

There were no missing none of that like they will not have it yet. Yeah, Dr. Raquel Martin: no, they I can always tell the athletes because they love it they love celebrities they become an upright I mean everybody else know you I don't all I do know is like I don't call roll now. Yeah, you want me? Yeah, maybe like oh yeah doctor Dr. Martens a little difference, right? You gotta be hard on them. Like, don't don't ever tell you this, but like when I don't know I don't cut no

slack, you're an athlete, you need to be here. everyday person in class. That's the expectation. Dr. Raquel Martin: Especially since I'm like one of the most chill professors on camera alone. Like, the clips you put online like Dr. Raquel Martin: the class, if you if you make me I'm like, my threshold is high. Yo, yeah, I'm pretty reasonable, but like, My rule is like, I'm reasonable, y'all, but don't play me. Dr. Mario like game play? Don't like it. It'll go from Dr. Martin to

like, I don't know what happened. My professor seems to have left the building. Yeah, I'm gonna tell them about I can't wait. I cannot wait. I think it's gonna be great. And I'm trying to do more, I just getting more and more interested

in the athlete realm more. So honestly, when the name image likeness thing happened, I'm like, Man, mental health wise, I am concerned because one there's going to be if they leave the team, the aspect of like lack of stability with gone from, that's a mental health thing of care and care for their families. Like, right, like, you got to do this. Because now you have more of an opportunity to make money we need, we got to make it to the pros you can do here. So like you got to do better. All I

thought of when I saw that was mental health. I know other people saw touching on last night was like, man, give you a quick scenario, how to fix the family. So imagine the student gets $100,000. But he's comes from a family that was living in public housing, that $100,000 goes against that mother's income. So now mom has to move out of that public housing. Yeah, mom, everybody in the house. And this

is a true story. Like a kid got a nine to do. And the income he was still living at home with his mommies, that's his residence. And you live in a public housing, that's a part of the income. And so now they all gotta move out. $100,000 is how long you think that's gonna last? Right? Dr. Raquel Martin: And then how long do those deals renew? Like those? Does that like just oil? Like? It depends, you know, is where it's a contract between x

company in that in that kid. It could just be a one time deal. They only had to play sports. It can. It can't be because you're a good athlete. It's just your name, your image and likeness. Like there's a kid. I don't want to say what school it's a big school here in Nashville. He's on a football team. Division One doesn't play. But he's making $80,000 a month because he's a good looking kid.

Dr. Raquel Martin: Yeah. And we kind of we, we talked about that with like, the whole aspect of I was when we were talking about Angel Reese, and Caitlin 80,000 or 80,000 a month. Dr. Raquel Martin: And it takes away from being kids, too, right? Because it's like, it's a game and it's supposed to be fun. I'm asserting that. I mean, you're not even Oh, he's not

even playing a good looking kid. But the likeness thing. Also, when we were talking about the display, the pay disparity between those two athletes, those young women, it's also like, oh, one athlete is making more because of their likeness, but more thinking about it. It's not likeness. That's another racism. Oh, well, this person is likeness is, is more likely to go far. And it's not because of stats. And I guess this is where I've always had issues with sports is like, yeah, it's

incredibly difficult. And you have to pay it at play in the upper echelon. But like, when the racism comes out, it really comes out, like learning about the number how many black coaches are there in the football and football realm, right. But we look at and also like, the disparity between who are the players that take the most hits, more the players that are less likely to get hit? And what's the, what's the, what's

the demographic disparity with that? You know, like, so it's hard for me to, I'm getting better, but it's hard for me to look at sports and not be like, That's interesting. Did you know that for the longest that sports players once they retired and they retired due to disability from getting hit in the head so much, the black ones are less likely to get their money because of the way they tested them. But Gilbert's you know,

like, it's hard for me to ovulate. I know. But like, even that player who like I know, he doesn't still pocket, but like even that player every time I see him, I'm like, listen, I know you keep telling me you going pro. Have you been going to class though? You know, like you got it. I need you to have a degree when you leave. I need you to have a degree when you leave. Yeah, because we don't know that you're going pro but I do know you keep dipping out on class. I know that.

I I've talked numerous athletes and they knew Hey, part you got to go to class. Because I'm an athlete like I know I'm not going to give you any leeway you got to be in class period and you got to do the work. I'm not giving you like no no slack

and they step up to the plate. I loved it. I love teaching athletes I really did because I was able to see them step up to the plate and do what they needed to do in the class the same way they do it Dr. Raquel Martin: in they're gonna feel right yeah, yeah, I think I would get more buy in if also wants to the game because he would always ask if I went to the games and I'm like, I have kids. I just have to get us I'm like get on a step stool because

they all beginner me oh my god. It was a big I'm gonna get on the steps. Don't be like I didn't told you multiple because it's never I'm sitting here like doing Hey, I'm not playing with you.

Do it. that they needed I mean that's they needed that coal just sit there until you bring your kids to our school we're gonna make we're gonna take care of we got great day talking about the professor's yeah and so hey and Dr. Raquel Martin: someone who like most I would say almost every other athletes taking psych classes yeah all right I guess but I teach a lot of them and I think there could be a better a better connection but you know Tsu got a lot to go on

all right now anyway they find to keep the school so thank you so much for coming we very much appreciate it all up Eric a parts information as well as information for his organization relayed to athletes will be in the show notes and as always, y'all have a fantastic day night evening and remember to be kind to yourselves. Hey everyone, just a reminder that mind your mental is not just a podcast it is also a amazing community if I do say so myself. It's phenomenal. I mean, you get more

access to me what more could you want in this life? So if you want to join the community if you're not already on the community, we go to my social media, my social media is the same Racquel Martin PhD and DM me the word community so you can get details on joining this amazing flipping community you get more access to me all like I'm gonna delights. All right. All right. Hope to see you there.