What is it about?
Professional athletes demonstrate high levels of motivation, engagement, resilience, and persistence. This article examines whether professional baseball players demonstrate the same traits in their pursuits of painting and sculpting.
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Why is it important?
Motivation is one of the most misunderstood human traits. Most teachers and coaches assume that they can simply reward effort and achievement to ensure future performance, yet motivation research suggests that there are many factors at play when individuals engage in daily activities. In fact, overwhelming research suggests that rewards undermine an individual's willingness to persist. This article three former athletes who are also talented artists and examines the common themes that emerge as they think about the development of athletic and artistic talent.
Perspectives
My academic career has focused on students who are gifted and talented across domains. I have also spent quite a bit of my time among college and professional athletes. This article allowed me to explore those traits that develop in very different domains -- art and sports. What are the commonalities? Do they devote themselves similarly in both? Do they actively assess and reflect on art in the same way they did in their career as professional baseball players?
Jerald Thomas
Aurora University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Art and the Psychology of Baseball (or Vice Versa), NINE A Journal of Baseball History and Culture, March 2023, Project Muse,
DOI: 10.1353/nin.2023.0007.
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