Self-Reflection 2

The concept I am relating to my personal experience with sport is positive deviance and the

culture of risk. As previously mentioned in self-reflection 1, I had a burning passion for soccer. I

would train twice a day every day and it was my favorite sport growing up especially since a lot

of my other family members would constantly play it. Culture of risk is defined as the act of

getting injured in sports, and the way it slowly became normalized and natural in the world of

sport. Henceforth, the notion of getting injured and brushing it off in hopes of seeming stronger

and unbothered is becoming a big part of the sporting culture. It is the idea wherein athletes

tolerate injuries, pain, and all practices that can affect their health and their performance. This

culture does not only revolve around the athletes, but the coaches too and their attitude towards

athletes where they dismiss any minor accident or injury and make it seem less critical than it

supposedly is. We, as athletes, neglect our injuries to strive for victory and achievement to

impress coaches and our other teammates. The way my coach reacted after my injury and how

his comments affected my performance can be linked to the culture of risk due to the hard work

and effort I continued to put, despite it not being enough to please him. I would strive for

distinction, even after my injury was somewhat healed; It was still harmful as I wasn't as strong

as before and would not be able to perform as well. I took a big risk of continuing to play

although I was told not to. Furthermore, the concept of positive deviance is striving to over

perform and accepting the risk of making sacrifices until in harm's way to get a specific reaction.

And this is exactly what I did after my injury. I believed if I push myself to the maximum of my

abilities, I would be seen as a potential professional soccer player in the eyes of my coach and

others. However, having rude comments being thrown at you for almost 3 years triggered my

self-esteem and participation in the soccer sport.