Homeostasis is the tendency of an organism to achieve a stable metabolic state by compensating for changes in the environment and other disruptions. Individual organisms can exhibit homeostasis, but so too can assemblages of organisms that cooperate to maintain the dynamic orderliness. Sociologists and psychologists may refer to homeostasis as the tendency of a population or an individual to stay at a certain level.
Maintaining the social equilibrium goes both ways. A person who resorts to crime or otherwise disrupts is usually eliminated, isolated or punished and rehabilitated. Likewise a person who advances or causes progress too fast will also be similarly penalized.
Galileo was a victim of homeostasis when he was forced to recant his achievements and discoveries then spent the last years of his life under house arrest on orders of the Roman Inquisition.
In individual sports, not so much team sports, an athlete who dominates too much or too long often has to deal with at best a grudging admiration or at worst a resentment strong enough to justify retaliation.
Eddy Merckx, possibly the greatest cyclist ever, dominated all the major events in the 1960's until his career was ended by a begrudging fan of the sport. Lance Armstrong's TdF dominance is resented by many cycling fans, even some American fans, and his security is a big concern if he comes back in 2009.
Even on the regional and local level athletes will enter a different category/event or opt not to compete at all rather than face repeated defeats by a dominant competitor. For example Masters road racing in the Georgia Cup Series, the same one or two riders have dominated for years and the fields have continued to shrink. Now the promoters are going to try to change the rules (no Cat 1 riders in Masters events) in an attempt to eliminate the riders who are "too good".
There is a woman who loves to play cards, she is very good and plays whenever she can. But her local bridge club no longer welcomes her because she is "too serious". She had to go find another group that had some players on her level. I call this social homeostasis at work.
I would call it a different inertia .
Some athletes are simply too good because their competition sees them as unbeatable .
Same with competing against the clock .
In the book "The Perfect Mile " , a quest to break 4 minutes in a mile was hampered by mental block .
What causes that basically round numbers of certain units , become mental obstacles ?
Our own mind .
We seem be to be attracted to whole parts and as a result , we create artificial barriers in our mind .
Had units of time be redefined , traditional 4 minute mile would never be that difficult to break .