At that level, it's all mental and it happens to even the best of athletes. Read the history of golfer Ian Baker Finch or MLB infielders Steve Sax and Chuck Knoblauch who suddenly forgot how to throw a baseball......
A baseball player or a golfer isn’t going to break his neck if his pitch is bad or his swing is off. Well, could hit the batter.
As you said, it happens to athletes and performers, and if they could kill themselves or someone else, they need to take a beak.
Another good MLB parallel might be Alex Rodriguez. He didn't have the same mental issues that Sax and Knoblauch faced, but his career took an unusual turn after he signed that enormous contract with the Texas Rangers. After a few years he did something that was unthinkable in pro sports: Not only did he ask for a trade from the Rangers because he thought his huge contract made it impossible for the team to build a contending roster, but he offered to renegotiate his contract for a lower salary to accommodate other teams that might trade for him.
The Rangers had a deal to send him to the Red Sox, contingent upon a renegotiated contract. But the MLB player's union intervened and said the contract could not be renegotiated. That's how he ended up on the Yankees, who were the only team that could afford to pay him under the terms of his original contract.
Re: 30 - How about Steve Blass?
After the ‘71 World Series, he lost all control. Just lost it. Was never the same.
Miss him doing color on the Pirates radio.