There's good reason to be excited about the Kansas City Royalsright now. The team is in a pennant race for the playoffs for the first time since 1985, and it actually looks like they have a good chance to move on.
With the excitement comes pressure, though. In a conversation with Up to Date guest host Brian Ellison, sports psychologist Andrew Jacobs and Royals Community Affairs and Publicity Vice President Toby Cook explain how psychology can help keep players from getting too wrapped up in the fervor.
Interview highlights:
On how excitement is building at Kauffman Stadium
Cook: "There's something about the energy level at Kauffman Stadium right now that just raises everybody else's energy levels. I don't know that I've experienced in my eight years with the Royals this kind of intensity from the fans before. We might be trailing 2-1, say, in the second inning, and a, 'Let's go, Royals,' chant starts. Which is funny, because pretty soon the organist takes a cue from the fans and starts playing. It's a lot more fun to be able to react to what the fans are already doing than saying, "Hey guys, give us a little help here and cheer for the players!"
On how players can keep the excitement from negatively affecting their performance
Jacobs: "Winning is contagious, and losing is too. I always like to talk about this question: Do you have to be confident to be successful, or successful to be confident? And I think if you're a confident person, it doesn't matter if you win or lose, succeed or fail, because you know there's going to be [another game]. There's a strong level of self-confidence with these players. They've overcome a lot of adversity, lots of them through the years here [as Royals]. There's a real strong team atmosphere here, and I think that's going to lead to a possible playoff run."
On how baseball offers unique psychological challenges compared to other sports
Jacobs: "When a player makes it to the major leagues, they've already been playing baseball for a long time. It's already ingrained in your system. I've got kids that I work with who are starting to play sometimes 20 or 30 games a summer at age 6, 7 or 8. I had a young man in my office last year, at age 10, who was playing 100 games a summer.
"So by the time these guys make it to the major leagues, they've survived road trips, good games and bad games. Then it's a matter of being the best of everybody, and playing with the best of everybody. So the focus has to become individualized. You really have to have a game plan, a mental preparation routine to get yourself prepared. You have to know what to do when you succeed or when you fail, and you have to keep a positive attitude."
On the fan reaction to the Royals playoff run
Cook: "There is something going on right now that feels magical. Things that have happened this year have seemed magical. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that we haven't been [in the playoffs] in 29 years. This isn't very elegant, but a lot of fans are clenching their keisters asking, 'Are we going to do this? Are we going to pull it off?'
"From a psychological standpoint, maybe we ought to all adopt the notion that we should relax and go have fun. Just have fun through this process and see what happens."
