Opportunity Through Scrutiny

Does crowd noise and constant scrutiny affect your athletic performance?

Imagine competing in front of tens of thousands of screaming fans who voice their immediate reactions to your every move. Add to it the nearly year-round analysis by the New York media and you have a fair picture of what former Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira, and countless other New York athletes, dealt with every day. Teixeira thrived off the pressure.

“The attention means people care about the game,” Teixeira said at the time. “That kind of pressure gets you pumped up and motivated to play… I want to be the best player I can be every game.”

As competitors, we must deal with the heavy pressure applied by those around us. But do we thrive in the face of scrutiny, seeing critiques as opportunities to excel? On a deeper level, do we also seize each moment of scrutiny to build up others, pushing them forward while sharing Christ’s light through love?

In Hebrews 12, Jesus chose to pray for those who persecuted Him and endured unimaginable insults and ridicule as He carried our sin to the cross to pay the ultimate price and gain the greatest victory in history.

Let each piece of scrutiny you face be a new opportunity for excellence as you compete and coach for the Lord with your all.