Does Bulletin Board Material Improve Performance?
Many athletes use pre-game trash-talking or bulletin board material to their advantage.
Bulletin board material can fuel motivation. Some athletes thrive on proving doubters wrong. The challenge excites them to lift their game to another level.
For example, bulletin board material can provide several benefits for athletes:
- Increased Focus and Intensity – Hearing an opponent’s negative comments or bold prediction of victory can heighten concentration and competitive drive.
- Competitive Fire – Some players perform better when “psyched up” and use anger or feeling disrespected to elevate their intensity.
- Strengthening Team Unity – If a whole team is being doubted, it can create an “us vs. them” mentality that helps them rally around a specific goal and enhance their collective effort.
However, bulletin board material is not always a positive source of motivation. Several reasons can cause bulletin board material to backfire:
- Distractions – Bulletin board material can cause you to focus on what the opposing team is doing and mentally knock you off your game.
- Overwhelming Anxiety – When you are over-activated or too emotional, you may become more anxious, make more mistakes, make poor decisions, or play too aggressively.
- Team Dissention – When emotions run high and the opposing team jumps out to an early lead, players may start to blame or argue with each other.
Bulletin board material can light a fire under athletes, but it needs to be monitored, moderated, and channeled properly.
When you take control of how you react, you can prevent the bulletin board material from becoming a distraction and use it to fuel your motivation and performance.
The key is to keep the main thing the main thing. When you focus on your skills, strengths, preparation, and game plan, you build confidence in your ability to execute and perform your best under pressure.
Prior to Super Bowl LIX, the Kansas City Chiefs received most of the attention and were predicted to win over the Philadelphia Eagles for their third consecutive championship.
In the press, the general focus was on the Chiefs and their attempt for a Three-Peat. However, the Eagles ignored all the bulletin board material and stayed focused on themselves and their preparation ahead of the Super Bowl.
Philadelphia head coach Nick Sirianni commented on Philadelphia’s mindset before the game.
SIRIANNI: “Same process, same everything. Everyone is going to tell you how much bigger this atmosphere is and how much bigger this is. But it’s really, don’t do anything different than what you’ve been doing.”
Philadelphia cornerback Avonte Maddox talked about the team’s focus on themselves and not paying attention to the disrespect from the press.
MADDOX: “You can’t really control what’s being said or done by the other team or what’s being said from the outside. What we can control is what we have in this building and with our team. That’s the most important thing. Like Jalen [Hurts] says, ‘Keep the main thing the main thing.’ We’re staying focused on us.”
Bulletin board material can be a powerful motivator, driving you to elevate your performance through increased focus, motivation, and team unity.
However, it can also serve as a distraction, leading to over-activation, poor decision-making, and team conflict. The key is knowing what works best for you, regulating emotions, prioritizing your preparation, and keeping the focus on you.Understand that preparation matters most and should be the main focus. Outside noise should never overshadow your ultimate goal of performing your best when it matters most.
Related Sports Psychology Article
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- Building Confidence for Athletes: Tips from Experts
- Mental Toughness in Poor Weather Conditions
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