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Expectations in sports and what to do with them

If you follow sports competitions, matches, and races, you can often see athletes achieving top results and standing on the podium, yet they are very dissatisfied. You also see athletes who finish their performances happy and satisfied regardless of their (poor) placement. Similarly, some athletes barely celebrate their victory, while others are completely euphoric. What distinguishes them?

One of the explanations is their expectations.

Although expectations do not need much explanation, it is important to emphasize that they are more than mere predictions of the future. They include a component of hoping for a desirable outcome (positive expectations) or fearing an undesirable outcome (negative expectations). A specific feature of positive expectations is the belief that the person deserves the realization of that expectation. When a positive expectation is not fulfilled, it leads to a strong sense of injustice and dissatisfaction. In other words, an athlete expects to win a medal at a competition because they believe they deserve it. If they do not win the medal, “justice is not served” because the athlete did not receive what they believe they are entitled to, causing feelings of betrayal, sadness, and disappointment. On the other hand, this normative aspect does not appear with negative expectations. If a negative expectation is not fulfilled, people may feel confused because reality does not match their expectations, but at the same time, they experience pleasant emotions such as relief and happiness.

Why are top athletes often poor losers?

There is a well-known saying, “It is worst to have had and lost,” which is closely related to our expectations. Positive expectations can be divided into two types: (I) expectation of maintenance and (II) expectation of acquisition. Simply put, an athlete might expect to win because they won last time (maintenance), or they might expect to achieve a better result than they did last time (acquisition). When the expectation of maintenance is not fulfilled, it is much more painful than when the expectation of acquisition is not met. An athlete who is used to being the best finds it much harder to cope with defeat than an athlete who has not won often but expected to win. Top athletes are often ‘poor losers’ because they lose something they had and constantly compare their current state of loss with their previous state of gain, i.e., victory. For athletes who are not used to winning consistently, even if a victory is now expected, such comparisons do not occur because victory is not a “normal occurrence” for them.

Why are some athletes less satisfied with victory than other athletes?

The expectation of maintenance, when fulfilled, does not cause feelings of euphoria and great happiness, but rather a sense of relief. An athlete who expected to win, if they achieve it, primarily feels relief. Of course, relief is not the only thing they feel, but it is very strongly expressed—sometimes to the point where happiness takes a back seat. On the other hand, the expectation of acquisition or an unfulfilled negative expectation brings feelings of surprise, happiness, and even euphoria. It makes sense that an athlete will be much more joyful about a victory if winning is not an everyday occurrence for them but a new event in their career.

Expectations are responsible for dignified victories and undignified losses of top athletes, as well as the complete euphoria of some athletes who did not win, were not the best, yet still celebrate as if they were.

How are expectations formed and what to do with them?

Do you notice how expectations are to blame for the sadness or anger of athletes after a defeat? Should we then expect the worst to avoid disappointment?

Of course not!

It is completely understandable to feel sad if you lose a race, match, or game, but it is possible to take steps to help cope with disappointment. Our expectations are linked to our goals. We have already discussed the importance of setting goals in earlier  blogs and now we emphasize again why it is important to set them correctly. If our goals are realistic and achievable, our expectations follow them, reducing the possibility of great disappointment to a minimum.

Managing expectations, like setting goals, is a skill that needs to be trained. Although the direct link between expectations and sports performance is still unclear, it is very important to be aware of your expectations so that you can adjust them to a specific sports situation and simultaneously prepare for all possible outcomes of the upcoming game/race/match.

Dora Dragičević, MSc in Psychology

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