THE HARSH REALITY OF SECOND-TIER ATHLETES

How often have you faced this – being better than average at everything but having difficulty being the best at one? Some coin the term as being the “jack of all trades but the master of none”. In reality, many of Singapore’s athletes, especially youth athletes, often face the cruel truth when they realise they are just good at a sport, never exceptional at it.

As Singaporeans, we want to win. We love to win. We live to win. The chase to perfection is never ending. It is like a whirlpool in which you get stuck forever and end up drowning. This is the life for second-tier athletes – those who perform above average but always fall short of high-level competitions to represent the nation. We are familiar with Joseph Schooling and Yip Pin Xiu, extraordinary Singaporean athletes who obtained gold medals for Singapore in the Olympics and Paralympics respectively. But, what really differentiates the mediocre athletes from their elite counterparts?

The Talent Gap among Athletes

Facing reality is tough, but knowing you can never surpass people no matter how hard you train is even more heart-shattering. Many are of the opinion that “practice makes perfect”, however this might not be the case for all scenarios. Many a time, as blunt as it sounds, talent and genetics are major factors contributing to the gap. In his renowned book “The Sports Genes”, David Epstein explored the nature vs. nurture debate in athletics. He went on to debunk the idea that success in sports is solely due to hard work and practice.

Instead, talent still plays a big role in deciding whether or not the sport is suitable for one to pursue as a career. Of course, recreational sports do not require such a high skill barrier as everyone does not care about who wins or who loses – at least to most. Nonetheless, it is difficult to eliminate the inherent ability that separates the excellent from the exceptional.

The Difference in Support Given

Support comes in many forms. It can be through emotional support, financial support or even self-support. For second-tier athletes, they are lacking in both emotional and financial support.

When you were small, do you still remember your parents shutting your ideals and fantasies to perhaps build a time machine in the future? Or have they even laughed at you before when you said you wanted to pursue a professional e-sports career in Brawl Stars?

In Singapore, sports alone do not pay well, and as many traditional parents emphasized, there is "no future in sports." Most of the time, these athletes do not get full support from their parents to sacrifice studies and grades just for some “meagre salary” and “a low chance to get medals”. This may be a huge blow to the athletes’ mental and emotional state, knowing that even their closest loved ones do not have full trust in them. Even their friends may doubt the choices they make which just adds a further critical blow to their ego and make the athletes question themselves. Additionally, even though Singapore has hoped to change its definition of success from the materialistic 5C’s – car, credit card, condominium, cash and country club – to one of chasing ideals and non-materialistic hopes as said by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong during the National Day Rally 2024, it is without little difficulty that second-tier athletes can really achieve their dreams of being at the top without any real monetary support and opportunities to prove themselves.

Funding from the National Sports Association (NSA) is equally important in the chasm between first-tier and second-tier athletes. The criteria needed to obtain the funding are difficult to achieve, with athletes needing to have the potential to win medals in major games. To qualify for the funding, athletes are nominated by their respective NSAs to enter the national sports development system. In reality, only top tier athletes get the necessary funding, while those who fall short get forgotten in the shadows.

The Opportunity Costs

Needless to say, practising and training for competitions and or a chance to go for competitions comes at a very huge cost. The athletes would normally sacrifice a huge amount of time and effort, forgoing spending time with loved ones, friends and studying. In a meritocratic nation like Singapore, juggling academics and training is usually the biggest challenge for these athletes. As aforementioned, meeting the parents’ expectations is one thing the athletes cannot get by, but having the probability to single-handedly ruin their future is another. If they were to do badly for their examinations, they would have to stick to being an athlete despite the fact that they might not ever get the chance to reach the top. To more pragmatic athletes who want to live comfortably in the future, this would be devastating.

Adapted from Rice Media: Is Winning Everything? The Untold Struggles of Athletes Who Don't Finish First