Distractions are an inevitable part of sports, and they can also be an athlete’s greatest enemy.

Shohei Ohtani has been dealing with a lot of off-the-field distractions lately amid a gambling scandal that he emphatically denies any participation in or knowledge of, and the big question is whether he can focus on playing ball, which is what the Los Angeles Dodgers and their fans are hoping for.

A U.S.-based sports psychologist who works with MLB and NFL teams doubts that the scandal will rock Ohtani’s laser-sharp focus on baseball, provided he can pivot smoothly into a new support system as he adjusts to the absence of his former interpreter and trusted confidant Ippei Mizuhara.

Indeed, Ohtani is looking like his old self at the plate, batting .345 with three home runs and eight RBIs in his first 13 games as a Dodger.

“Ohtani is clearly an expert at focusing his mind and using his attention, so I expect that he will be able to continue to succeed on the field,” said Mark Aoyagi, a professor and co-director of sport and performance psychology at the University of Denver’s Graduate School of Professional Psychology.

“I think the only issue will be if off-the-field emotional stress starts to disturb his basic self-care. I expect at the baseball field he will be fine, but he will need support and stress management skills to make sure that his sleep, appetite, recovery and relationships are not significantly affected,” he said.

An athlete’s support network can include various individuals in their life: parents, coaches, teammates, friends, partners and professionals like physicians, psychologists, athletic trainers and nutritionists. It takes a village to support the world’s best athletes, who face immense pressure to perform against a backdrop of media coverage and fan expectations.

One wrong move — a game-ending strikeout, a missed clutch free throw or an own-goal equalizer — can turn the most likable player into the most despised player. With social media giving fans the ability to tweet, post and comment on sports news or slide into DMs, minimizing digital distractions is non-negotiable for athletes in order to protect their mental health.

Some popular techniques employed by athletes to stay focused and in the zone are visualization, mindfulness meditation, breathing exercises and positive self-talk. Others use cue words and mantras, rely on superstitions like wearing lucky underwear or listen to pump-up jams to help boost their confidence on the field.

Two Olympians have found more unorthodox ways to get in the right headspace before competition.

British diver Tom Daley, who became famous for knitting poolside during the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, credited the craft with helping him to stay calm between events. American former alpine ski racer Lindsey Vonn brought her dog to the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in 2018, saying her furry companion Lucy made her feel less lonely on the road.

 

Michael Jordan is a prime example of possessing a winning mindset, says Mark Aoyagi, a professor and co-director of sport and performance psychology at the University of Denver’s Graduate School of Professional Psychology. | REUTERS

Sports psychology has become integral to the game, and more teams are embracing practitioners of this growing field who go by various titles including mental skills coach, mental performance coach and mental game coach. Brent Walker serves that role for the Dodgers this season, and he has reportedly been helping players with the mental side of their game using hypnosis.

Hypnotherapy or not, Ohtani will have to find a way to keep his eye on the ball as he plays his first 162-game season without Mizuhara, who had been a constant presence in all areas of his life since the start of his major league career in 2018. The last thing he and the Dodgers need is a distraction.

Distractions in sports can come in many forms, such as boos from crowds, bad umpiring calls, poor field conditions and personal thoughts. While distractions are typically grouped into two types — internal and external — Aoyagi makes a point that all distractions come from the inside.

“They only become distractions if they capture our attention, which of course is an internal process,” Aoyagi said.

“The way our attention works we cannot block anything out. It is the old game of ‘don’t think of a pink elephant.’ As soon as you try not to think of a pink elephant, of course, you think of a pink elephant. Therefore, if we try to ‘block out’ a distraction it actually draws our attention to that distraction,” he said.

Aoyagi explains that the key is to pay attention to the right thing at the right time, which is why hitters practice the skill of maintaining focus on the field by doing things like looking at the label on their bat. If you notice baseball and softball players staring at the bat before stepping into the box to hit, it’s likely that they are utilizing this mental ritual to focus their mind on the task at hand.

Many pro athletes are able to compartmentalize their emotions, which allows them to perform their jobs effectively, but it can backfire if they fail to go back and address the root causes of their emotional turmoil, according to Aoyagi. This is where therapy comes in. Alternative options to talk therapy include journaling, prayer and meditation.

Aoyagi sees Michael Jordan as a prime example of possessing a winning mindset, having successfully played through a scandal (gambling problems) and personal loss (his father’s death) before a brief retirement from the NBA. He then came back to win two more MVPs and three more championships with the Chicago Bulls.

Jordan’s story serves as a reminder that challenges can be transformed into opportunities for growth when approached with the right mindset and support.

If he were to be in charge of helping Ohtani be at his best amid the probe into Mizuhara’s illegal gambling and theft allegations, Aoyagi said he would make sure Ohtani has a huge crew in his corner that can offer practical assistance and emotional support so that baseball can be a sanctuary from what is going on off the field.

“My advice to Ohtani would be to make sure that he has an effective support system and he is working through his emotions and dealing with whatever comes up for him productively so that he can maintain his physical, mental, and emotional well-being, and then use baseball as his opportunity to focus on ‘just’ baseball,” Aoyagi said.

And it seems that Ohtani is certainly aware of the task that faces him.

Speaking to reporters before a series opener against the Minnesota Twins on Monday, the star said, “Regardless of whatever happens off the field, my ability to continue to play baseball hasn’t changed. It’s my job to make sure that I play to the best of my abilities.”