According to the scripture, Pro. (23:7)“as a man thinks in
his heart, so is he.” With that said, let’s analyze the psychological term
known as IMPOSTER SYNDROME, which is an obsessive internalization of a
persistent fear that you are going to be found out to be a fraud or the
collection of feelings of inadequacy that persist despite evident success.
We see this in the world of sports, entertainment,
academics, and in the professional world, where one struggles with the idea
that they are not good enough or incompetent. For instance, we have all seen
quarterbacks, Black or Caucasian, struggle with this concept after throwing an
interception, making a bad read, or losing a big game. Especially, if he was
drafted as the #1 overall draft pick or selected in the first round.
SEE, being a professional athlete can be a lonely journey,
despite all the glitz and glamour. As a result, many, especially, those, who
play the QB position in the NFL, start feeling, as if, they don’t belong or are
unqualified to be under center. So, after a few bad games, many of them find
their confidence and self-esteem shattered within two years, subjugated to a
backup status within three, and out of the league after five, where they are
forgotten by the “fans” and replaced by the next round of college athletes in
the upcoming draft, who will be praised and viewed as the saviors of the
franchise.
With all of this pressure, many players start developing
(NEGATIVE SELF TALK), while becoming obsessed with being validated by others,
second-guessing themselves, questioning their identity, losing themselves to a
point of delusion by the way of social and political isolation, forcing
themselves to total assimilate, through inter-racial marriages in order to
survive or co-exist in the unwelcomed, emotional, judgmental, stressful,
racially charged environment known as the NFL, where some become depressed, which
leads to substance abuse issues, (cocaine, steroids, pain pills, alcohol,
marijuana) And, in the worst-case jail time for committing a crime.
Along with all of this, psychologically, many Black players
also may experience bouts of RACIAL BATTLE FATIGUE, a concept coined by William
Smith, which attempted to address the issues Black students face while trying
to survive in the toxic atmosphere of Higher Education within the “White”
University school system, where they must be 3X better than their White counterparts.
Even though, there is not a level playing field. For this reason, Racial Battle
Fatigue has been compared to post-traumatic stress disorder experienced by
military soldiers, who have been bombarded with the stresses of dealing in
chronic hostile environments. In the case of the Black athlete, however, the
constant stresses of “being the first fired; last hired” haunts their psyche,
as well as, the constant verbal abuse coming from coaches and fans, which can
be racially charged, where one is often seen as some kind of slave, savage,
toy, criminal, rapist, or Beast on the field and outside of the arena when they
remove their helmets and shoulder pads by the media.
This is why all of the players in the NFL must read Romans
12:2, which states: And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed
by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and
acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
So, to all of those young signal-callers, regardless of
"race," whether you're a veteran QB or backup quarterback- KEEP THE
FAITH. For, the NFL is an acronym for N.ot F.or L.ong.
(bobbeethehater.blogspot.com) (Cash app $IrisRCarter)
