Mental Toughness

When people think of history’s greatest athletes, names such as Babe Ruth, Michael Jordan, or Michael Phelps come to mind. They picture a top tier athlete depending on the significant event(s) that earned them their title, as well virtues that characterize them. The attributes that are integral to a great athlete involve both aspects of physical excellence and aspects of psychological excellence. Indeed, the psychological aspect within sports is almost as integral as the physical aspect. The research article “A Review and Conceptual Re-Examination of Mental Toughness: Implications For Future Researchers,” researched several samples of athletes and found that those athletes who had the greatest mental toughness in their sport were most successful
in their pursuit of superior athleticism (Crust 2008). The direct correlation between robust physical and mental athleticism appropriately facilitates a successful athlete who is renowned by the public. For instance, if an athlete has the natural skill for their sport as well as the mentality to strive for excellence, the athlete becomes more likely to succeed than others. Furthermore, an athlete must stand out of the crowd in order to be noticed by the public. Without traits setting an athlete apart from another athlete, they surely cannot be defined as great, because their exclusivity facilitates their grandeur. Thus, an athlete's greatness in the public eye is dependant on one’s skill in their endeavours as well as their ability to stand out among their rivals.