42 pages • 1 hour read
Athlete Vs. Mathlete
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Mindset Matters
The greatest factor in how the characters of Athlete vs. Mathlete deal with the struggles they face is their outlook on the situation. Mindset plays a key role in whether they remain positive or negative, something that is powered by choice. Through the actions and reactions of Russell, Owen, and the Masters of the Mind members, the novel explores the power of perspective.
Finding positive aspects in negative situations is key to achieving one’s goals. From the moment Coach Baxter tells Russell to try out for the basketball team, the idea stresses Russell out. His reluctance to do so coupled with his belief that he’ll fail miserably gives him a negative mindset leading up to the tryouts. However, finding something positive to focus on helps Russell’s mindset shift.
In Chapter 6, Russell and Owen are running to the park to practice basketball, and Russell is frustrated because he struggles to keep up and not be winded. When he looks down at his new Nikes, he suddenly thinks, “I was still panting and cramping up, but I’d found something positive” (58). After this, he feels newfound energy. Nothing about Russell’s situation has changed, but the Nikes make him see the situation in a more positive light. Instead of hating what he’s doing, Russell decides to accept the situation and see what comes of it. While this doesn’t necessarily make it more enjoyable, it keeps him from hyper-focusing on the negative and making things worse for himself. Russell carries this mindset forward into the tryouts, and as a result, he does better than expected and makes the team. His positive mindset lets him equate basketball to Masters of the Mind (something he feels very positive about), and this symbolizes the power of positivity when applied to a negative situation.
Athlete vs. Mathlete suggests that positivity and negativity are a choice. When Owen learns he will have to try out for the basketball team, instead of just being given a spot, his mindset toward tryouts and the game becomes negative and stays that way for most of the book. This is compounded when the coach has Russell tryout for the team. Owen has a fixed image of how he wants basketball to be (something he excels at independently of his twin), and Russell and the tryouts get in the way of this image, keeping Owen from acknowledging all the positive things he enjoys about the sport. When Russell makes the team, Owen’s mindset worsens because, to him, the worst has happened. He is no longer the sole athlete in his family, and he feels forced to compete against his brother (someone with little athletic skill) for attention from his teammates, coach, and family. Again, Owen refuses to see the positive side: He made the team and will be doing something he loves with his friends. Throwing Russell’s Nikes in the dumpster is a turning point for Owen because he finally sees how his negativity impacts those around him. His guilt over how he’s treated Russell motivates him to choose a more positive mindset where he can view himself and Russell as teammates, rather than competitors. Owen’s character arc shows the power of choosing positivity and how doing so can have a ripple effect, spreading positivity to others.
A negative mindset keeps people from seeing new opportunities and ideas. At the outset of the novel, the Masters of the Mind kids are stressed because one of their members moved away and they need to find a replacement before the upcoming competition. While they are motivated to do so because it is necessary if they want to compete, they experience no enthusiasm or interest about what a new member might offer the group. Rather, they remain stuck in the negativity that their previous group is no longer intact, and this keeps them both from finding a new member they like and thinking creatively about the egg challenge. Only Russell has any hope for the group’s future, and he demonstrates this by consistently telling his friends that things will work and by offering concrete suggestions for the challenge. When Arthur joins the group, their mindset worsens. Arthur is not a member the group wants, nor does he put any effort toward the competition, and these factors leave the group even more stuck. As a result, Arthur takes advantage of this, showing off his wealth and subtly urging the group toward making him the new leader if they want to succeed at the competition. Russell’s renewed positive outlook on basketball at the end of the book helps drag his friends away from their negativity. Seeing Russell succeed at something new helps them understand that they need to at least try if they want results. This gives them the confidence to trick Arthur into leaving and come up with a winning method for the egg challenge, showing how possibilities open up when one chooses positivity.
The Effects of Peer Pressure
The characters of Athlete vs. Mathlete deal with pressure from their peers, both those in their direct friend groups and those they know only in passing. Regardless of the source, this pressure puts them under an additional level of stress to act a certain way, and this has both positive and negative results. Through Russell’s response to basketball tryouts and Owen’s relationships with his teammates, the novel explores how peer pressure influences the middle school experience.
In the best-case scenario, peer pressure can motivate someone to step outside of their comfort zone. Leading up to the basketball tryouts, Russell experiences peer pressure from the Masters of the Mind club. His friends don’t understand why he’s going through with tryouts, because he has no athletic talent and doesn’t have anything in common with the basketball kids. While Russell mostly agrees with this, part of him rebels against it, and this motivates him to go through with tryouts, resulting in his acceptance on the team. By listening to the objections of his friends and letting himself work through the pressure they put on him, Russell learns to make his own decisions based on what he wants, rather than what others tell him. In addition, Russell finds that being on the basketball team offers him attention he never got before. In Chapter 10, Russell receives many compliments about his new shoes, and he suddenly realizes why “some girls spent so much time fixing their hair and comparing outfits, and some boys cared so much about wearing the right jeans” (85-86). Though he feels pressured to act and think differently because his Nikes draw people to him, he also sees how this pressure influences the actions of those around him, which lets him mitigate the effects of peer pressure on himself moving forward. Russell’s character arc offers a balanced approach to peer pressure, using it to prompt personal growth.
On the other hand, peer pressure can negatively influence a person’s thoughts and actions. After Coach Baxter tells Russell to try out for the basketball team, Owen’s friends start making fun of how poorly Russell will do based on the lack of athletic aptitude he’s shown in the past. Owen participates in this heckling a bit, though he mostly feels bad about doing so; even if Russell is clumsy, he’s still Owen’s brother. Owen’s selfishness keeps him from standing up to this peer pressure. He wants to be liked and respected by his friends, and to achieve this, he feels like he has to make fun of Russell, or at least not stop his friends from doing so. Once Russell makes the team, the type of pressure Owen experiences shifts. Instead of feeling pressured to dislike Russell, he now feels pressured to be excited about Russell’s position on the team, something he struggles to do. Instead, he is angry that his friends have sided with Russell, and this leads to Owen bucking peer pressure in favor of pumping himself up so he will get more attention. As a result, he is put under new pressure to act like part of the team, rather than trying to steal the glory, and this finally makes Owen realize how poorly feeling pressured has made him treat everyone.
Understanding others helps diminish peer pressure. Russell and Owen participate in very different groups at school, and each has a biased view of the other that’s informed by stereotypes about each group. Only after Russell makes the team and starts spending time around the other players does he realize that athletes are intelligent and that the game requires skill. Similarly, Owen’s perspective about the “uncool” Masters of the Mind club shifts once Russell starts excelling at basketball. Associating Russell both with something Owen likes (basketball) and something he doesn’t understand (Masters of the Mind) makes Owen see that the groups are not as different as they first appear.
It’s Okay To Be Who You Are
While the characters of Athlete vs. Mathlete struggle with the effects peer pressure has on their senses of self, these struggles ultimately give way to acceptance and the understanding that they are free to be who they want, regardless of how others feel. Through Russell’s struggle between basketball and Masters of the Mind, Owen’s acceptance of Russell and himself, and how both boys’ friends rally around them, the novel explores how it is never wrong for someone to express their own unique personality.
At the beginning of the book, Russell has been a member of Masters of the Mind for a while, and he believes he is perfectly content to continue having the club be his main activity. However, once the opportunity arises for him to try out for the basketball team, Russell starts to acknowledge that he wants to be more than he currently is. In Chapter 18, one of Russell’s friends tells him, “[Y]ou’re almost as happy being on the Pioneers as you are in Masters of the Mind” (166). Initially, Russell is reluctant to believe this because he doesn’t understand how he can be happy when he has such opposing interests. As he grows and realizes that there really is little difference between the people involved in Masters of the Mind and basketball, Russell learns that there is nothing wrong with liking both activities. Expanding his interests has made him more of who he wants to be, not less, and Russell ends the book feeling like he is where he needs to be.
For most of the book, Owen struggles to accept either himself or Russell, choosing instead to rebel against all the changes happening in his life. Owen defines himself as an athlete, so when that identity is jeopardized, he doesn’t know what to do. Instead of looking forward and finding a new way to be himself, Owen clings to the past, which only makes him feel less like himself. On top of this, Russell trying out for the basketball team makes Owen feel like he has nothing left to separate him from his twin. He lets this feeling rule him to the point that he’s willing to sabotage Russell’s game in order to feel better about himself. Letting external forces control his identity leads to more hardship for Owen, and only after he hurts Russell by throwing the Nikes in the dumpster does Owen realize that he doesn’t have to tear apart other people to feel whole. Retrieving the Nikes from the dumpster is the point where Owen realizes he can be himself, regardless of whether or not Russell plays basketball. Russell’s position on the team doesn’t make Owen’s any less valid, and watching Russell find himself in the balance between sports and Masters of the Mind makes Owen realize that he isn’t defined by one aspect of who he is. Once Owen accepts this, he can move forward and find his true self.
Acceptance from others validates one’s uniqueness while rejection makes self-expression more difficult. Early in the novel, Russell and Owen both experience forms of rejection from the people closest to them. The other members of Masters of the Mind tease Russell when he says he’s going to try out for the basketball team, and while Russell doesn’t admit this is hurtful, he truly feels like his friends don’t support him for trying. Similarly, Owen’s friends fixate on the ridiculousness of Russell trying out for the team, which makes Owen feel like they care more about watching Russell fail than watching Owen succeed. This lack of support from their friends contributes to both Russell and Owen feeling stuck in their search for their identities. However, once each group sees how new circumstances affect Russell and Owen in positive ways, their levels of support change. The Masters of the Mind realize that Russell likes doing both activities and that disliking sports for the sake of disliking them is not helping their friend. Similarly, Owen’s friends accept Russell, which in turn means they accept Owen’s relationship with Russell. This acceptance reinforces that each boy is okay just as he is, and Own and Russell feel like they are free to explore who they are, ultimately letting them be comfortable with their identities.
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