 From here on, the primary judgment of all human institutions, professions, programs and activities will be determined by the extent to which they inhibit, ignore, or foster a mutually-enhancing human/Earth relationship. A storm is brewing and it’s going to be a monster. Scientists have seen it coming for decades and the warnings are now being written in fine detail across the pages of hundreds of sober, credible academic journals. The biosphere is on the brink of collapse, with runaway atmospheric warming, depletion of biodiversity and the degradation of habitat across the planet. Forests, soils, oceans, fresh water, wet lands, and rivers; all under extreme pressure from an expanding, high-impact human population. It’s no coincidence that societies around the world are under extreme stress and human mental health is in serious trouble. And so the obvious questions: How does sport fit into this predicament? Is it relevant or meaningful in some way? Is it a mere amusement, a pastime, a distraction? Or is it something with vast potential, a way to heal our society and maintain our resilience and creativity in the face of looming, unprecedented chaos and stress? The two faces of sport To answer these questions, it’s essential that we acknowledge the good stuff right at the outset. When sport works, it’s one of the most creative and honorable of all human activities. Athletes bring intense focus to their games and step up with powerful, inspirational, and even awe-inspiriting performances. At their best, athletic events are vivid expressions of beauty, spirit, and even transcendence. When sport works, it makes people healthier in both body and spirit. Team spirit and sincere coaching combine to make athletics one of the most meaningful practices in the modern world, and arguably, sport is one of the few things in the modern world that actually functions as intended. At its best, sports can unify teams, communities, and even, in the Olympic spirit, humanity itself. There are ample reasons to love athletics and we’d do well to keep this spirit alive for athletes and non-athletes alike. Nevertheless, there can be no denying the dark side, beginning with the overwhelming emphasis on competition and an ends-over-means value system. Even in the world of youth and amateur sport, outcome is now considered everything. Winning is paramount and failure is labeled a disaster, for both individuals and community. All of which adds up to a brutal, exclusionary, high-stress environment that wears down athletes, compromises their mental health, and shorten careers. Similarly, we now see a widespread emphasis on specialization and professionalization, most notably in youth sports. We start training our athletes at younger and younger ages, even before the body is fully developed, leading inevitably to premature injury and burn-out. Young athletes need diverse forms of play to develop naturally, but this opportunity is increasingly denied to many. Even worse, modern athletics has largely been co-opted by larger corporate and commercial interests. Sporting events may look authentic on our screens, but they are massively produced for maximum media viewership. In the process, the athlete loses her authenticity and becomes little more than an agent for generating profit. In this environment, sport often functions as nothing more than a cheap attractor, a lure for human attention. Beyond its ability to stimulate, it has no inherent meaning or value. In turn, this leads to an increasing emphasis on naked achievement, exclusively for the sake of personal grandeur. Larger meanings are ignored as athletes build their resumes in hope of ever larger payoffs. In the process, our athletic dreams contract into calculation and narcissism. Even worse than all that, modern athletics has almost nothing to say about the most consequential issue in human history: our ecological crisis. Today’s coaches and athletes rarely speak about the Earth or the power of the natural world. Oddly and tragically, modern athletics seems to operate in a kind of fantasy world, isolated from the very forces and processes that sustain our bodies, our lives, and yes, our athletic performance. All of which adds up to a disturbing realization: In the extreme, modern athletics can become irrelevant and even counterproductive in our quest to create some kind of functional future. So perhaps it’s no surprise to see a growing backlash against sports in general and the increasingly popular view that athletes are nothing but a bunch of spoiled, overpaid, over-pampered whiners. A path forward So what’s to be done? How do we make sport relevant and meaningful in a world on the brink? How can athletics, in Thomas Berry’s words, “foster a mutually-enhancing human/Earth relationship?” How can sports contribute to a viable, functional human future? Most of us already know what needs to be done, even if we’re not explicitly vocal about it. The formula is simple, if difficult to implement:
 Athletes as Earth advocates Speaking out for the preservation of the natural world is certain to look and feel unfamiliar to many of us, but in fact, coaches and athletes are ideally suited to speak on matters of the biosphere, the planet and nature. We have credibility on this matter; we understand that our health and performance ultimately comes from our ancestry and our habitat: the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat all comes from the land, the earth. We understand that without a functional habitat and biosphere, there can be no health, no athletic performance, and no glory. As today’s climate activists might well put it “There can be no championships on a dead planet.” Speaking out for nature is a matter of social and ecological responsibility to be sure, but even more, it’s also a powerful way to live and train. Not only does the natural world sustain us, it also provides an enormous source of physical and psycho-spiritual energy that can make us better at what we do. Nature, we might say, is a super-power. When we identify with the living world, we become stronger and more resilient in everything we do, including our athletic performance. To put it another way, identifying with and speaking out in support of the natural world isn’t just the right thing to do; it’s also the smart thing to do. Preview of our September workshop All of which leads to our upcoming TAP online workshop, September 5. We’ll open with some light movement and meditation, then we’ll explore the big picture ideas that shape our bodies and our practice, including…
I hope you can join us. REGISTRATION LINK Frank Forencich, https://humananimal.earth/ 
3 Comments
 My TAP experience has been incredibly rewarding thus far, and I am especially grateful for the positive impact it has had during my transition out of professional sport. In reflecting on the ways it has helped, there are a few areas that stand out: presence, connection, and perspective. There was probably not a more opportune time for the TAP Global Mentoring Program to cross my inbox than when it did, last October. I had been competing on the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) tour since 2019 and spent the better part of 2023 rehabbing from a hand surgery. At the same time, I was also contemplating the prospect of retiring from professional tennis, which was difficult to work through, as I know is often the case for athletes faced with the idea of retiring from their sport. Fortunately, I had a great support network in my family, my training team, and my friends. I discovered the TAP Global Mentoring Program through another sports-related organization, High Impact Athletes, and as I read more about TAP, it was apparent this was an organization that took a holistic approach to the athlete experience. The Global Mentoring Program stood out to me for a number of reasons. As someone who has benefited greatly from the positive impact of mentors throughout both my sporting career and personal life, I felt it would be a special opportunity to mentor a young athlete and to develop the skills to grow as a mentor. And relative to where I was at with my own sporting career at the time, many of the foundations of the TAP mentoring curriculum resonated, particularly those related to identity and values. We are now over halfway through the mentoring year, which is hard to believe. I was paired with an amazing mentee for whom I could not be more grateful, and as a cohort, we have gone through several practical and thought-provoking workshops. Since joining TAP, I rehabbed my injury, returned to competition, and ultimately decided to retire from professional tennis in April of this year.  Presence.
When I first thought about leaving professional tennis, I had a flood of emotions: fear, doubt, joy, excitement, anxiety, sadness, gratitude, confusion, and probably everything in between. These were tough to deal with, especially given how much I had trained as an athlete to regulate my emotions when I needed to perform. I found it difficult to stay present. Something I love about TAP is that mindfulness is a cornerstone. Early in the year, all mentors and mentees went through a five-part TAP mindfulness series, and from this, I have been able to re-establish a daily mindfulness routine. As mindfulness was a consistent part of my old training routines, the program has reminded me of how useful these practices can be in everyday life, and especially for me now during this period of transition. Maintaining awareness of the present moment… observing thoughts without getting entangled in them… remembering self-compassion… these have all been helpful tools in dealing with various ups and downs. Connection. I think the process of retiring from professional sport is a unique experience and can at times be hard to describe. It is a major adjustment: mentally, physically, emotionally and more. I am deeply grateful for those around me, particularly my family and friends, whose love and encouragement has made this a relatively smooth transition and whose unwavering support has always given me the courage to chase after my dreams. These relationships are ones I do not take for granted. With that said, there have certainly been times when I have found the retirement process, and all the emotions that have come with it, to feel a bit lonely. I imagine this is probably the case with most significant life changes. TAP has been a strong source of connection for me, particularly among the other mentors, and it has offered an environment that feels free of judgment, yet full of understanding. Several of the other mentors have already retired from their sport, several are still competing, and some are even considering retirement in the near future. While none of our experiences have been or will be the same, I think there is a sort of mutual understanding that is unique and a certain safety to be felt in being surrounded by people who can relate in such a similar way. This source of connection has helped me to be more vulnerable, to connect more deeply with others, and to more intentionally connect with myself. Perspective. I knew that I wanted to stay involved in sports to some degree after I stopped competing, but I was not entirely sure in what capacity. To be honest, I think this is still something I am figuring out. But the TAP Global Mentoring Program has allowed me to engage with a wide-reaching sports community in a way that I really appreciate. On one end of the spectrum, I have enjoyed interacting with so many young athlete mentees during various group workshops, and I feel a strong sense of purpose in working to develop my skills as a mentor in order to better support my mentee. Engaging with young athletes in the early stages of their athletic careers has offered a perspective that is both energizing and inspiring. On the other end of the spectrum, I have enjoyed engaging with the other mentors, some of whom are in the latter stages of their sporting careers, but many of whom have embraced and excelled in new chapters of their lives while still remaining connected to sport. Going through the mentor workshops together offers great perspective, as the topics and skills that we focus on are applicable both within and beyond sport. Importantly, throughout the program, I am constantly reminded through readings, reflections and discussions that the athlete mindset is always a part of us. And that the lessons we learn, the skills we develop, and the impact we have on the world around us lasts well beyond our sporting careers. Going into the latter half of this year, I feel a lot of excitement about the opportunities that lie ahead. I am grateful for all that the TAP experience has given me thus far – the relationships it has brought me, the space it has given me to reflect, and the ways it has helped me to grow. I look forward to continuing to explore what the program has to offer, and I look forward to all that is to come in this next chapter of life. |
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