When a male athlete has a high sense of self-worth (high self-esteem), when he is loved and his life is in harmony, when he is not suppressing (withholding) his feelings and emotions, and if he is highly spiritual, he will actually create positive events in his life on and off the field of competition. And one of the most powerful influences in his life is very often the love and nurturing he receives from a fiancé or wife. Or the birth of a new baby. And, of course, this also applies to female athletes as well.

NFL Quarterback Jeff Garcia’s career was resurrected when he took over from an injured Donavan McNabb last season and led the Philadelphia Eagles to five straight wins and a spot in the playoffs. Few people realized that, at the time, he had become engaged to Carmella Danielle DeCesare, Playboy’s 2004 Playmate of the Year. What made his engagement even more powerful was that he was able to disprove an accusation by his former teammate, Terrell Owens, that he was gay.

When NFL superstar Michael Vick was released from the Atlanta Falcons, he was replaced by Quarterback Joey Harrington. Last March 10th, Harrington was married and his new wife, Emily, is having a positive effect on his game. If he doesn’t get injured, and if his wide receivers begin catching his passes, Joey Harrington should have a highly successful season. If his receivers continue dropping passes that are hitting them right on their numbers, perhaps the Falcons’ new head coach, Bobby Petrino, should help them with their personal issues that may be affecting their focus.

Or it could be that they, and some of their other teammates, are fearful that Vick is going to name them as NFL players who bet on dog fighting. That, in itself, could be a major distraction that could be affecting their focus, causing them not to perform well.

From all indications, Tom Brady, if he stays healthy, will also have a fantastic year as Quarterback for the New England Patriots. And one of the major reasons for his success will be that he recently became the father of a new baby boy, John Edward Thomas Moynahan. The new baby’s mother is Tom’s former girlfriend, Bridget Moynahan, and when John Edward Thomas was born, Tom was right at Bridget’s bedside.

One of the reasons Rick Ankiel of the St. Louis Cardinals is having such a banner year in baseball is because he also recently married, and I’m pretty sure his new wife Lori encouraged him to clear up the issue he had with his father who was released last year from a federal prison for drug trafficking, something Rick had refused to acknowledge. His new wife has had a very positive effect on his performance. And I don’t believe the recent HGH drug charges against Rick will have any effect on his performance, mainly because the drug he used was legally prescribed by a physician to treat his injury and, at the time, was legal to use.