CRISIS ATHLETE™
THE BRAIN'S POWER OF REAPPRAISAL
By Kim Guevara
February 2024
As we gear up for the Super Bowl this weekend, I'm reflecting on the brain’s power of Reappraisal.
For decades, the Chiefs ranked as my least favorite team (of any sport), a sentiment rooted in the days of working under a toxic boss whose office was a shrine to the team.
Three years ago, however, my 11-year-old daughter started to like the Chiefs (PRE-Taylor Swift) - captivated by Patrick Mahomes. She herself has become a rising star quarterback, which is exciting to watch. Watching the Chiefs through her eyes has dulled the association and bias my brain made all those years ago.
It's a change I could have embraced long before, but it took the innocence and enthusiasm of my daughter to teach me this lesson without her even realizing it.
The old association is still there, but the negative and unjustified bias is now overshadowed by visions of my daughter and her bestie shrieking and jumping in sheer tween joy at the Chiefs' AFC Championship victory.
So, while my perennial favorites, the Dolphins, were just a step away this year, I find myself in the unexpected position of rooting for the Chiefs. Life, like the imminent game, is filled with surprises and avenues for growth.
Go Chiefs!