Taking a slight detour from obsessing about Milan today to
talk about three different footballers who struggle with three different
disabilities. These are not visible, obvious physical disabilities, but they
all belong to a group of disorders known as “invisible disabilities.” Often,
people suffer silently, but these three players live in the spotlight, which
can be a blessing or a curse. However, thanks to their examples of taking their
“weaknesses” and turning them to strengths, they can be an inspiration, not
only to their fellow athletes, but to the world.
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| Hard to believe his daily struggles |
The first player actually played for Milan, albeit briefly. David
Beckham has been quite open about the fact that he suffers from OCD, or
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. OCD is an anxiety disorder where people’s
thoughts or feelings become too repetitive
or obsessive, and therefore compel repetitive or other behaviors, also
known as compulsive. In Beckham’s case, part of his compulsions include
organizing things or lining and pairing things up, everything always has to be
perfect. But it is not hard to see how he took his disability and turned it
into a strength on the pitch. He was a free kick specialist, and became that
way by practicing… a lot… until it was perfect.
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| Focus and control vs. the involuntary twitches... amazing. |
Another player with a disability that is fairly widely known
is Tim Howard, the Everton and USA goalkeeper, who suffers from Tourette’s Syndrome.
Many people think of Tourette’s as that bizarre disorder that makes people
curse uncontrollably, but that is actually not a very common trait, it affects
only about 10% of those who have the disorder. Mainly, it is characterized by
having involuntary “tics” that can be like a twitch or even a jump. Amazing,
then, that he has been able to control this and excel in football, especially
as a goalkeeper. Although new research indicates that some
with Tourette’s may actually have a faster reaction time than others who don’t
have a disability, it is definitely something he has had to battle that
his peers don’t. It is also something he lives with around the clock, too.
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| Maybe his greatness is a result of having to overcome bigger obstacles |
An athlete that I just learned suffers with a disability
that is very familiar to me with both in my personal and professional life is
Lionel Messi. At
the age of 8, he was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome, now known as
Autistic Spectrum Disorder. It is a very mild form of autism, meaning that most
people who have it are quite high functioning in compared to more severe forms
of autism. However socially, it can be devastating, as those who suffer with it
find it nearly impossible to read social cues like facial expressions, etc. and
often have inappropriate emotional reactions as well. Additionally, it is
common to have repetitive behaviors and vocalizations, like many autistic
people have. Again, this may be Messi’s strength, as it is likely this
repetitive behavior has helped him become that much better at playing football.
But any advantage it has given him has likely come at a great cost in the rest
of his life, it is a very challenging disability to live with. Combined with
his diagnosis of GHD, or Growth Hormone Disorder, and subsequent treatment, he
has certainly overcome a lot of obstacles on his way to becoming one of the
best footballers in the world.
I think all of these players and others who have similar
disabilities are true heroes. Any small advantage they receive as a result of
their disabilities comes at a heavy price, a price they live with 24/7. I
especially love those who come out and talk about their experiences and share
their stories, and they inspire me, those whom I love that have disabilities,
and others worldwide. For them, the playing field is hardly level, but they
have overcome their disadvantages and become world class footballers in spite
of it all. Superheroes.
This post inspired by p3trarch, who
shared Messi’s story with me