Sport Rewards Undesirable Traits

• High-achieving athletes often exhibit selfishness and ruthlessness, as found in the Great British Medalist Study.
• Society generally discourages these traits in other areas.
• The purpose of elite sport should be considered, including its potential impact on societal values.
• A focus on athlete health and well-being might require systems that de-emphasize these potentially negative psychological qualities.
• It raises the question of whether elite sport's focus on winning inadvertently promotes traits we wouldn't want to encourage.