Do you think mental strength is just as important as physical strength in sports? After reading “Why We Run?” by Bernd Heinrich and “What Could Be Better than a Touchdown?” by Kelefa Sanneh, I agree-mental strength is just as important as physical strength in sports. In the excerpt “Why We Run?” the author Bernd Heinrich explores the physical, mental, and evolutionary processes that drive humans to run. In the article “What Could Be Better than a Touchdown?” examines how an easy touchdown generated endless fan debate about the wisdom of usually uncontroversial football play.
In “Why We Run?” Bernd Heinrich states “I think it is because without dream-“antelopes” to chase we become what a lapdog is to a wolf.” It describes that mentally we choose a dream in sports and our body chose to make us chase that dream in sports (65). Also Heinrich explains “…these animals don’t need to know, they must only be fast.” Physically these animals must be fast, but using their minds they don’t need to know that they need to be fast, same for athletes they must be good in sports, but they don’t need to know that they are good in sports (67). As Heinrich explains “Movement is almost synonymous with life.” It means you control your life using you mind and body like athletes use their mind and body to play and control the game or sport their playing (67).
In “What Could Be Better than a Touchdown?” Kelefa Sanneh explains that the touchdown might have been “wrong thing to do.” Means mentally Dwight Lowry didn’t know that this touchdown is wrong, but physically he did the wrong thing (57). As stated, “Dude, you’re arguing scenarios that have less than a 1% chance of happening…” According to mental agility, the other 99% chance is definitely these scenarios won’t happen (59). Also “ If Lowery had forsworn the end zone and dropped to one knee as soon as he caught Favre’s pass, the game would have been over…” So if Lowry had used his mind in the first place to think about dropping to a knee before using his body to score the touchdown, the game would have been over (59).
Some people would argue that physical prowess has more to do with excelling at sports performance has more to do with excelling at sports performance than mental strength and agility. However the evidence above, in paragraph 2 and 3 refutes that theory and prove that athletes must use their bodies to excel in sports.
Sports achievements require mental strength and physical strength in order to get success in sports I agree with this. In Heinrich’s excerpt and Sanneh’s article explains that both body and mind is synonymously important in sports. Mental strength and agility are just as important as physical prowess in sports.
