Strength in Numbers - 40

From: Jan-31-2022 09:47:am

Don't Call It A Comeback

We all struggle with something.

That's called life, but imagine you are doing something you love, something you have committed to since you were six years old, you make it, and then you lose your passion and step away?

This happened to one of the athletes I had the opportunity to work with, and who we'll talk more about in this newsletter.

Avoid Sunk Costs

People in business often fall prey to sunk costs. Essentially, they will continue to put money into a lost cause because they have already invested a lot of money into the undertaking.

Well, athletes are no different.

Some keep playing because it's what they have always done, but without the love for the game at times. Essentially baseball feels like a job and not a vocation for some of the players we watch on TV during the season. They go through the motions as many people do in their careers.

In my first year in 2017 with the Angels, I became very interested in psychometrics. Essentially that is applying an analytic value to a thought, an emotion, a behavior, basically more psychologically driven numerical data for statistical modeling.

It is very new to baseball, especially when it comes to the draft.

One of the most profound studies I undertook with athletes within the Angels organization was a Motivation Scale Diagram. I created a web diagram of four interconnecting motivational factors I identified amongst professional baseball players that I gathered from building relationships with them over my 9-year career.

Here's what it looked like:

The athlete was supposed to create a line between connected motivational factors to determine which motivational factor they were more drawn to on the web.

For example, if they put a line right in the middle between a factor, they were 50% motivated between two factors. If it were further toward a factor, I would measure the distance from the distant motivational factor and then indicate it as a percentage of the total line.

I found that athletes at a young age were motivated more by family and passion for the sport. This was also much stronger in Latin athletes. Yet, when athletes reach the age of 25 years and older, the motivational pull is strongly associated with money. This told me that passion, being the love of the game, changes for athletes, and it had for Ty Buttrey, a friend of mine and athlete I had worked with during my time with the Angels.

Ty was unique, as he didn't subscribe to sunk cost behavior. He decided that the atmosphere around his career in professional baseball didn't make him happy anymore. He did not leave the game due to injury, or poor performance, two factors our company works hard to prevent. It was basically out of lack of passion. This rarely happens, as just as many people, athletes lack the courage to leave their careers and explore a new direction. I am proud of him.

Back On The Mound

Now, what happened in 2021 was a rapid transformation for him. He had regained his love for the sport, his need to challenge himself, be around his teammates, and compete. My mother used to say an old expression to me about the long-distance relationships I had during my playing days.

She said, "Absence makes the heart grow fonder."

She was right, and in this case, it applies to Ty. This season, Ty has come back to Major League Baseball, and I am excited to see all the hard work he has put in this offseason translate to his success. Sometimes, we need to take a moment to realize what is best for our families and us and not subscribe to the sunk cost of putting more time in because you already put in a lot of time.

In this week's podcast, you will learn great life and competitive wisdom from Ty, an MLB reliever for the Los Angeles Angels. Don't call it a comeback because he will be here for years.

After listening to the podcast, please feel free to reach out if you have any questions. I am enjoying the dialogue I have had with our readers about previous newsletters and podcasts—keep it coming!

Opening Day is amongst us. I am excited for a brand-new season and a new beginning for many of us in the game.

Thanks for reading!

Ryan

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