The Psychology of Sports-Playing it Straight



Dr. Richard Lustberg, Ph.D.

On The Couch:
The Week In Review
(3/03)

NEW BLOG!
New Regular Posts

Print Media Appearances

Nascar.com
Dr. Lustberg speaks on burnout

NYDailyNews
Dr. Lustberg speaks on Sports Stars and Celebrities dating

Courant.com
Dr. Lustberg speaks on office pools

ABC News
Dr. Lustberg speaks on ABC News

The Free Press - Mankato, MN
Dr. Lustberg's quotes are pure fiction

The Vail Trail
Dr. Lustberg speaks on
being a sports fan

OrlandoSentinel.com
Dr. Lustberg speaks on
Forgiving Fans

Birkshire Eagle
Dr. Lustberg speaks on
Red Sox's Nation

SignOnSanDiego
Dr. Lustberg speaks on
sports fans' emotions

Time
Dr. Lustberg speaks on
the fans' reaction to the Mets' collapse

New York Post
Dr. Lustberg speaks on
Met Fans lost season

seattlepi.com
Dr. Lustberg speaks on
Mike Hargrove

reviewjournal.com
Dr. Lustberg speaks on
Michael Vick and Dog Fighting

Newsday.com
Dr. Lustberg speaks on
fan behavior

STL Today
Dr. Lustberg speaks on
Barry Bonds and why he's a polarizing figure

Athens News
Dr. Lustberg speaks on
fan support

InfoSports
Dr. Lustberg speaks on
youth sport

KansasCity.com
Dr. Lustberg speaks on
Post Traumatic NFL-Football Disorder

FresnoBee.com
Dr. Lustberg speaks on
focus, concentration, and preparation.

SignOnSanDiego.com
Dr. Lustberg speaks on
fan's behaviors

BerkshireEagle.com:
Dr. Lustberg speaks on
how the fans relate to the players

Daily Herald:
Dr. Lustberg speaks on
the psychology of Rex Grossman

Courier News:
Dr. Lustberg speaks on
being a sports fan

Examiner:
Dr. Lustberg speaks on
the Baltimore Ravens and the positive energy fans create

PajamasMedia:
Dr. Lustberg speaks on
the psychology of autographs

ESPN.com:
Dr. Lustberg speaks on
Teammate sabbotage

VC2:
Dr. Lustberg speaks on
Steroids

Kane County Chronicle:
Dr. Lustberg speaks on
Superstitions

Christian Science Monitor:
Dr. Lustberg speaks on
Issues about youth sport

smh.com.au:
Dr. Lustberg speaks on
World Famous swimmer: Ian Thorpe

NewsReview.com:
Dr. Lustberg speaks on
the psychological importance of having a sports franchise in your city

Philadelphia Daily News:
Dr. Lustberg speaks on
Terrell Owens

Winston-Salem Journal:
Dr. Lustberg speaks on
Athletic Competitiveness

The Boston Globe:
Dr. Lustberg speaks on
The Minds of NFL Kickers

USA Today:
Dr. Lustberg speaks on
Baseball Players' Fatigue

Journal Gazette:
Dr. Lustberg speaks on
Mental Illness in Athletes

The Associated Press:
Dr. Lustberg speaks on
Hero Worship

Newsday.com:
Dr. Lustberg speaks on
Alex Rodriguez

ReviewJournal.com:
Dr. Lustberg speaks on
Ben Rothlesberger

PJM News:
Phil Mickelsohn Infatuation

Unabated Sports:
A Doctor In The House

Sports Central:
Dr. Lustberg speaks on Trash Talking

PE
Dr. Lustberg speaks on Rituals

Canoe
Dr. Lustberg speaks on Lucky Charms

Coloradoan
Dr. Lustberg speaks on Superstitions

Orlando Sentinel
Dr. Lustberg speaks on The Death of Tony Dungy's Son and Depression

Star Telegram
Dr. Lustberg speaks on fan and owner loyalty

Jacksonville
Dr. Lustberg speaks on losers

Belleville News Democrat
Dr. Lustberg speaks on emotional reaction to games

Star Telegram
Dr. Lustberg speaks on the line between players and spectators

Des Moines Register
Dr. Lustberg speaks on "how young is too young?"

DenverPost.com
Dr. Lustberg speaks on perpetual losers in sports

dailypress.com
Dr. Lustberg speaks on players and their uniform numbers

SignOnSanDiego.com
Dr. Lustberg speaks on Phil Jackson and Kobe Bryant

latimes.com
Dr. Lustberg speaks on Phil Jackson and Kobe Bryant

PE.com
Dr. Lustberg speaks on athletes who have returned to their old teams

OCRegister.com
Dr. Lustberg speaks on athletes and their jersey numbers

Mets Inside Pitch
Dr Lustberg speaks on the psychological aspects of being employed in the major leagues and having your position reassigned.

post-gazette.com
Dr. Lustberg speaks on enduring a long string of losing

Hartford Courant
Dr. Lustberg speaks on athlete's sudden illnesses

NorthJersey.com
Dr. Lustberg speaks on the Yankees/Red Sox epic rivalry

Mercury News
Dr. Lustberg speaks on Barrett Robbins and Mental Illness in Athletes

phillyBurbs.com
Dr. Lustberg speaks on the passion of sports fans

York Daily Record
Dr. Lustberg speaks on superstitions in sports

Denver Post
Dr. Lustberg speaks on trash talking in sports

The Duquesne Duke
Dr. Lustberg speaks on fans and sports

Chicago Tribune
Dr. Lustberg speaks on superstitions

Sunday Herald
Dr. Lustberg speaks on Barrett Robbins’ struggle against bipolar disease

New York Daily News
Dr. Lustberg speaks on the impact of the Jets playoff loss

The San Diego Union-Tribune
Dr. Lustberg speaks on the history of player/fan violence

New York Times

USA Today

Dallas Morning News

Denver Post

Chicago Tribune

The Baltimore Sun

Philadelphia Daily News

Daily News Sports

Denver Post

San Francisco Chronicle

Newsday

Orlando Sentinel

San Diego Union Tribune

timesunion.com

WebMDHealth

The Providence Journal

The San Diego Union-Tribune

UK Casino News

CBS NFL Kid Zone

The Kansas City Star

The Dallas Morning News

Star Telegram

San Diego Union Tribune

Forest Grove News Times

Scroll Online

The Daily Free Press

MyrtleBeachOnline.com

Toronto Star

San Francisco Chronicle

Orlando Sentinel

Femmefan.com

Monterey County Herald

Lincoln Journal Star

ChicKnits

Reveries Magazine

The Mercury News

International Network on Personal Meaning

Christian Science Monitor

Preteenagers Today

San Antonio Business Journal

eSports Media Group

The Marion Star

PsychNet-UK

The Record (Hackensack, NJ)

The Plain Dealer

delawareonline.com
The News Journal

iparenting.com

Christian Science Monitor

The Journal News

El Tiempo

The Observer & Eccentric Newspapers

outsports.com

Sports fans seem to have a common complaint while watching games these days: The referee or umpire is a @#$%&!

Bashing sports officiating has become a popular hobby that regularly gets attention on sports broadcasts. If there is a controversial call that leads to heated shouting matches among players, coaches and umpires, you will see many replays of it on ESPN.

And when describing the argument, TV reporters aren't afraid to take a shot at the official if they believe the call was wrong; however, they rarely criticize the player or coach if replays prove the official was right.

Taunting, insulting and ridiculing an umpire or referee - without fear of consequence - has become accepted behavior in our society.

"Chastising umpires for their poor vision or low intelligence is as American as apple pie," Texas columnist Jeff Langley once wrote.

I guess it's fun when you are the player or spectator, but it's not so much fun when you are on the other side.

For the past three years, I have served as a baseball umpire. I've called a number of high school games in Troy, Birmingham, Southfield, Walled Lake, Livonia, Farmington and Redford.

Most umpires have spent many hours and years studying rules, positioning and how to handle arguments. We take our share of jabs over that time, whether justified or not, but we try to ignore them.

REACHING LIMITS

Still, regardless of our attempts to be low-profile, neutral observers of
the game, an umpire can only take being called incompetent pieces of crap and various other rude vernacular names for so long - especially when it comes from teenagers and parents who just don't understand the rules. But that does not stop them from blatant disrespect for authority.

As an umpire, I've made my share of mistakes, just like athletes make
mistakes, just like all human beings make mistakes. But our society's
growing "win-or-else" attitude makes officiating errors nearly criminal.

Dr. Richard Lustberg, a New York-based psychologist who closely analyzes sports behavior, theorizes that many athletes aren't trained to deal with adversity. So when a call doesn't go their way, many don't know how to react, aside from the one-sided flurries of expletives or violent demonstrations.

"For example, feelings of being in a diminished or secondary position of powerlessness cause people not to use their full intellectual capabilities, and choose less-enhancing behaviors," Lustberg said.

In many cases, the player that gives umpires or officials the most grief are those who made a mistake on the play - especially when it comes to the egos at the professional level.

"Many players have problems with taking responsibility for their actions or behaviors on or off the playing field," said Lustberg, who frequently writes columns for national publications and is interviewed about sports psychology.

He said there is nothing unique in sports environments that sparks such agitated behavior.

"Society and sports are the same," Lustberg said. "A sporting event doesn't bring out this behavior, you bring yourself to the sporting event."

RESPECT DECLINE

Before the 1960s, men wore suits and ladies wore dresses at baseball and hockey games. Lustberg said this seemed to be a foundation for more respectable behavior.

Over the past four decades, however, spectator etiquette has sharply
declined. For example, in the past four years alone, drunken Chicago fans attacked a coach and umpire at separate baseball games, Cleveland football fans fired glass beer bottles at referees and New York football fans chucked sharp pieces of ice and snow at referees and opposing players.

"These days, we talk back to teachers and police officers and it's
accepted," Lustberg said. "We didn't do that years ago."

Watching such behavior from athletes and spectators does not provide a wonderful example for youngsters. Lustberg said this puts added pressure on parents to attempt to curb current disrespectful trends.

"It's too easy to just blame what kids see on TV," Lustberg said. "Parents spend far more time with their children than that athlete they see on TV. Parents, in these situations, need to reinforce what's right and wrong."

This is the key, Lustberg said: To hope that future athletes and sports
audiences can better handle disagreements with umpires and referees.