'Weight Fear' Spread in Professional Football...Players Trapped in Numbers, Crumbling Self-esteem

'Weight Fear' Spread in Professional Football...Players Trapped in Numbers, Crumbling Self-esteem

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It is becoming increasingly difficult to keep players from giving up their bodies. The Athletic, a global sports media outlet, reported on Monday that the outdated culture surrounding weight and body fat percentage in the world's professional football is still suppressing players.

Fenerbahce Alain Saint-Maximin recently made a direct counter-argument by revealing his body composition data after being criticized by Jose Mourinho for being "overweight." He shot Mourinho, saying, "Lies ride the elevator, and truth climbs the stairs." Mourinho responded, "A properly trained player can go up the stairs. Players who don't need elevators."

As such, "weight" can spark conflicts between coaches and players. In the past, Pep Guardiola, the Manchester City coach, caused controversy when he openly criticized Calvin Phillips for being "overweight" right after the 2022 World Cup. Phillips described it as "the hardest time of his career." Sports nutritionist Dr. Nissan Costello pointed out that players are human and that public criticism of their weight hurts their self-esteem. "Football is stuck in an an anachronistic culture where people are overly obsessed with body fat percentage," he warned.

In fact, Premier League clubs are putting psychological pressure on players by measuring their body fat percentage on a weekly basis or having them record their diets in restaurants. Some clubs hire nutrition experts to measure body composition just because they want players to look like athletes. Costello said, "This culture creates an atmosphere of fear," adding, "The structure in which the number of weight is prioritized over the player's performance is a serious problem." Professor James Malton, a nutritionist from the Liverpool club, also stressed, "Football is essentially a technical sport, and the impact of weight or body fat percentage on performance is smaller than expected." He pointed out, "When these figures become the criteria for selection, players deal with their bodies in a physically and mentally distorted way."

Some players tend to engage in behaviors that are close to obsession, such as weighing several times a day or checking their weight even after meals. Appearance evaluation through social networking services also encourages such obsession.
Warning lights have already been turned on among female players. According to a survey by the International Football Association (FIFPRO), one in five female players has experienced an eating disorder in the past year. Arsenal Alessia Russo also confessed to severe self-control during the COVID-19, saying, "I cut back on my diet because I wanted to lose weight." On the other hand, for male players, the issue is still hidden in silence. "Male players who were branded overweight as teenagers still live with trauma," Costello said. "Some still believe that they cannot play if they are overweight."

In this atmosphere, players are rather lacking energy even on the eve of the game. According to a study, 81 percent of players in a Premier League club failed to meet their recommended carbohydrate intake on the eve of the game. Costello said, "This is the result of the spread of misunderstanding that carbohydrates put on weight," adding, "Some players complain of dizziness or even hypoglycemia right before the game. They are giving up the fuel they need for their performance because of their appearance standards." Malton, a professor at Johnmuir University in Liverpool, described this weight obsession as "doxic practice" by French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu. "In professional football, the obsession with ideal physical conditions is structurally established," he said. "If you don't get out of it, you tend to be lazy or unprofessional."

Can changes be made? Experts say in unison, "Measurement of body composition itself is not a problem. The problem is the moment when it becomes the goal." 메이저사이트 This means that communication and education-oriented approach are needed, not measurement. Experts point out that "Before evaluating a player by numerical value, you must respect them first," and that "decisions about a player's body and body must be made with the player." The Athletic pointed out that this is the first step for soccer to become a sport that puts people before numbers.