### abstract ###
the objective of this paper is to measure and compare the subjective time discounting of professional athletes and non-athletes
by using a questionnaire  we found higher subjective discounting for professional athletes than for non-athletes
we also found that the professional athletes' win-orientation positively affected their present preferences
on the other hand  professional athletes' play- orientation  which reflects their attitude towards the game itself  negatively affected their present preferences
no such effects were found in non-athletes
we argue that the  win-at-all-costs  competitive approach that leads athletes to sacrifice everything in order to win may cause or reflect their higher preference for the present
### introduction ###
the subjective time discount rate is measured by the rate between the amount individual is willing to receive in the future  instead of a given amount in the present
this rate decreases with one's willingness to wait  meaning higher rate for an individual who is less patient and more biased to the present
the literature on time subjective discounting is extensive
it is related to psychological characteristics and cultural and demographic differences  CITATION
the socio-emotional selectivity theory suggests that the perception of time plays a fundamental role in the selection and pursuit of social goals
carstensen et al CITATION  developed this theory and suggest   when the conclusion of the appraisal process is that time is limited  the acquisitive mode associated with unlimited time is transformed into a more present-oriented state
present orientation is likely to involve goals related to feeling states  deriving emotional meaning  and experiencing emotional satisfaction  p  NUMBER 
in the current paper  we compare time preference of professional athletes to non-athletes
the participants in this research were  NUMBER  professional israeli athletes and  NUMBER  non-athletes
the group of professional athletes included olympic medalists  medalists from the european and world championships and members of national teams and national champions
the comparison of the psychological characteristics of athletes and non-athletes is one of the most frequently explored topics in personality studies related to sports
in the attempt to determine whether athletes differ from non-athletes  many researchers have looked at psychological  personality and perceptual-style variables
to the best of our knowledge  there are no studies that analyze professional athletes' time preference
mccann  CITATION  analyzed decision-making among professional athletes considering contract offers
specifically  he examined why some professional athletes pursue the most lucrative offer  while others do not  and to what extent cognitive biases and heuristics influence their decision-making
he suggests that the lack of studies on influence of behavioral tendencies on professional athletes is not surprising   given the relative paucity of professional athletes among the general population  their presumptively unique modes of employment  and a general aversion among academics to the study of sports  p  NUMBER 
however  he suggests that  unlike other population groups professional athletes spontaneously furnish publishable commentary of their values  beliefs  and priorities  and they do so in real world  rather than experimental settings
indeed  by escaping the alleged 'experimental flaw' of many behavioral law and economic studies  professional athletes offer a uniquely appealing group for further examination
for that reason  recognition of how professional athletes respond to subjective stimuli  as well as cognitive distortions  may reveal as much about us as it does about them  p  NUMBER 
we suggest that the group of professional athletes is unique due to its  win-at-all-costs  competitive approach  CITATION
this competitive approach leads athletes to concentrate more on the present and sometimes sacrifice their future
