Sports Related Anxiety in College Athletes

Many athletes, at any level, experience sports related anxiety when they are very invested about their sport. Sports related anxiety is defined as anxiety that is caused by fear of not meeting expectations because they are afraid of the outcome or looking bad. Sports psychologists have agreed that athletes need to clear their minds before going into a competition in order to perform at their best. To fill this research gap, college athletes at Dominican University have been given the option to participate in a survey available through surveymonkey.com. This survey will address how internal and external factors affect an athletes performance. External pressures will include expectations from coaches, their support system and teammates. Internal pressures will include personal long and short-term goals, as well as injuries and recurring injuries. Through primary results from collected data, I will be able to conclude how this may change the mindset of an athlete, and how much stress or anxiety it may put into their mental game while performing.