ABSTRACT
The way mythology influences our lives on a deep level is not often explored, but it is always reflected in the popularity of films, fashions, identities and sport. This section continues the focus on competition and the main task for a sport psychologist: improving performance. Burston examines the shadier side of competitions, how different phases present opportunities and dangers, as they do in the wild. Burston shows what can happen if an athlete remains ignorant or goes unconscious, jeopardising their potential in a world where edge always counts. Archetypal identities such as Apollo and Dionysus are set alongside their modern counterparts, David Beckham and Eric Cantona.
This chapter explores the seemingly obscure, including the relationship between the number seven and sport. Mythological stories such as The Magnificent Seven and ‘The Pied Piper of Hamelin’ are contrasted with the meanings for athletes. Walt Disney’s archetypal alchemist Merlin and Mickey Mouse, America’s divine child, illustrate the dangers of ‘a little knowledge’. Then the ancient African myth of ‘The lion and the hunter’, alongside the ace Greek athlete Atalanta, compliment a collection of mythological stories that have meanings for sport. The chapter ends with some rules and a list of the seven deadly sins for athletes.
