The Nature Of Sport Some sports, you fight with blood to get to the top, and a struggle comes with every play. When you're playing, adrenaline is high, and emotions are running rampant. Water polo, rugby, boxing, are examples. Some of the toughest sports known to man, they're grueling games. What makes every single game so challenging is that they all have different, distinct aspects that every athlete must defeat to reign supreme, with emotional struggle, physical pain, and a demanding environment all up against them. Before anything starts, a mental battle is already in play. Every sportsman is against their own conscience and thoughts. No matter who you are, the emotional pressure is ever present. Questions about ability and performance pass through one's mind. It's never easy, professional athletes in these rigorous sports often suffer emotionally. Negative emotions passing through hurt mentally, and it's another obstacle. During a game, adrenaline is high, emotions are peaking, with your brain working overtime to succeed. We see what happens when emotions win, and jocks lose control. However, in the athlete's life, stress and anxiety associated with negative emotions come to fruition in the form of stress disorders and anxiety. Frustration with the smallest failures in practice can overtake an athletes path to success, and brains bombarded with the wrong messages. The constant stress of failure, the emotional anxiety of not being good enough, or not working hard enough, and the prospect of losing, makes these sports extremely emotionally taxing. It's no wonder sport heroes are admired for the immense battle they fight solely mental, and on top of their physical battle. The physical endeavors that the hard workers of our favorite sports go through is nothing to wag a finger at. The sports we consider tough didn't earn their reputation by pure virtue. As we sit back and watch them play, criticizing every misstep, we sometimes forget the immense pain they endure. They play through, even in unhealthy situations. They achieve success and greatness despite the pain. Winner push through and losers succumb to the hurt. Whether it's agony from endurance such marathons, or the jarring pain of being hit in the jaw but still persevering for the gold, none of these sports we glorify would be complete without the physical torture experienced. It's what makes the sports a challenge, and gives them more pleasure. Pain and pleasure go hand in hand, it's something that these sports thrive by. With pain receptors in the body firing off throughout the game relentlessly, how one responds when the body is begging for it to stop is what makes these it so punishing. If they choose to give-in, they risk losing and giving up everything they had fought for. What distinguishes a good player from a great one is how they can put physical torment aside and continue playing for their pride and country. Stories are told of the legends that continued competing with an injury that should have made them collapse, with the spirit of the competition letting them shut the gate on debilitating discomfort. But part of the very same environment that lets them push through, is also one of the challenges that they face in these blood sports. It's amazing how so many can succeed in the tough environment that these sports push youngsters into. With emotional, and physical pain the bloodline of the environment, the culmination of it all is too much to bear for many It's what makes these sports so elite, where only the most driven and passionate can succeed. With so many kids looking up to their idols in hope of emulating their success, the pool of talent is massive. The bottleneck it creates is detrimental to young athletes, pushing them out until the most elite remain. With so much competition, and with such high expectations placed on their shoulders, the environment of eliteness created within sports is the main opposition people face on their journey to greatness. Pressure comes from everywhere; the pressure of team and coach is immense. When these players “make it”, they must leave this behind when they step out to play, or turn it into motivation and drive to succeed. The environment around these strenuous sports is what distinguishes them from other sports. It makes sure that only the best survives, makes sport that much tougher, and its what endeavors it in our hearts. It's the distinct aspects that athletes of these tough sports must overcome that causes us to tune in every week to enjoy. Emotional struggle, physical pain, and the demanding environment they thrive in makes every game a nail-biter. It's what makes these sports so special, challenging and distinguished from other sports. The people that play them are their own breed of people, able to climb every mountain these sports build. And if it's the challenge and pressure that makes them special, would these sports really be as good without the physical torture and challenge?