Sports are one of the most important parts of our culture in the United States. The vast majority of people in our country grew up playing an organized team sport, and even if they didn't participate in an organized team sport, they certainly played a sport at school or in the nearest park or schoolyard. Sport is part of human nature and exists all over the world, even in the most protected and closed countries. While it's all fun and games, when you reach a certain level it can feel like it turns into something very different. It becomes a way of life for those who go far enough and in some cases it becomes a career and a way of earning money, so not only do you have to play in front of thousands of hostile fans all the time, but you are also expected to play at a level elevated every time you step onto that playing surface. The pressure that comes with it is something that some crave, but for others it is something that can make them crack and almost fall to pieces. There is a difference, mentally, between athletes who continue to succeed and thrive in this atmosphere and those who fall apart. An athlete's healthy psyche can be their most powerful weapon, while a weak one can be their undoing. Many of the world's leading psychologists work with athletes to help them maintain stable mental well-being, and many of the world's best athletes are the ones seeking help. by these psychologists. In JBM Clark's journal, Sports Psychology, he discusses the stereotype of superstitious baseball players; says, “As a class, American baseball players are perhaps more susceptible to 'bad luck' than any other group of professional players in the world” (Clark 61). A “bad luck” is something that could cause a player to have a series of bad luck....... middle of paper... different types of adversity an athlete will face, the best thing he can do is keep his head on straight . With the help of psychologists trained to help athletes, this is possible and will help them stay competing through success and failure. Works Cited Clark, J.B.M. (1930). Sports psychology. The North American Review, 230(1), 60-61. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/25113590Reese, L.M.S., Pittsinger, R., & Yang, J. (2012). Effectiveness of psychological intervention following a sports injury. Journal of Sport and Health Sciences, 1(2), 71-79. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095254612000415Sarkar, M., & Fletcher, D. (2013). How should we measure psychological resilience in sporting performers?. Measurement in Physical Education and Exercise Science, 17(4), 264-280. doi:10.1080/1091367X.2013.805141