Mental Health on Athletes
Everyone views athletes as people that are able to overcome any obstacle. They are portrayed as these superhuman beings that excel in their respective sports. Mainly idolized for their physical strength and skills, one thing gets left out, their mental health. Being pressured to always perform better than everyone else can have a huge toll on an athlete’s mental state. It is important to acknowledge the importance of their mental health just as much as their physical health. We should take increased action and focus on athletes’ mental health more.
In Kevin Love’s article “Everyone is Going Through Something”, published on ThePlayers’Tribune, he speaks on a personal experience that he faced himself. Love goes on to share that he never thought mental health was an issue he would personally have to deal with, but him suffering a panic attack changed that. He makes it clear that mental health should be talked about and is able to impact the readers and indulge them to connect with him. Kevin Love addresses the readers in a casual tone in order to connect to other athletes. He wanted to use his platform as a professional athlete to speak on an issue that is becoming more prevalent in current times. Love brings up a good point that he wants athletes to understand, “In the NBA, you have trained professionals to fine-tune your life in so many areas. Coaches, trainers and nutritionists have had a presence in my life for years. But none of those people could help me in the way I needed when I was lying on the floor struggling to breathe” (Love). He believes sharing his thoughts will encourage other people like him to not hide their negative inner thoughts because “people don’t talk about mental health enough” (Love). It is important to take notice of what he is saying because chances are, other athletes are dealing with the same thing. Furthermore, Kevin Love is an athlete who is directly affected by the impacts of mental health. He speaks about what went on through his mind prior and after his panic attack. His experience is one-of-one, and makes readers willing to believe his words since other players like him are the center of this topic. If mental health wasn’t such a big issue, Love would not have spoken up about something he believed didn’t apply to him at first.
Chances are you know who Simone Biles is, a world renown gymnast and an Olympic gold medalist. Watching her compete, you can tell how much dedication she put into perfecting her craft. Although it seems like everything is fine with her, she too, also struggles with mental health. The CNN article “Why Mental Health Matters for Athletes — Even as They Give Their All to Win” covers Biles’ last minute withdrawal from the Tokyo Olympics, as well as several other stories of athletes facing mental health struggles. It is important to prioritize mental health because if you are not in a stable condition, you will not be able to perform at your best. This doesn’t just apply to doing well in sports, but being able to keep your life on track. Moreover, Athletes are often perceived as entertainers rather than humans. Winning medals or games is important to them, but taking care of themselves is equally as important. This is more of an issue in athletes because the environment they’re in doesn’t encourage speaking out about your inner thoughts. Biles sends a message addressing this, “I have to focus on my mental health and not jeopardize my health and well-being” (Asmelash). Additionally, tennis star Naomi Osaka is very open about her struggles with depression. She doesn’t care what people think about her decisions as she knows what’s best for herself. Similarly to Biles, Osaka withdrew from the French Open in 2021 because she felt overwhelmed. It has been more common for athletes to prioritize their mental well-being in recent times. More people are starting to realize that mental health should be talked about more, and embracing one’s issues is perfectly okay.
Alternatively, the Cleveland Clinic leverages their article, “Athletes and Mental Health: Breaking the Stigma”, with the use of their medical platform. The Cleveland Clinic is a nonprofit medical center that encourages learning and teaching. Their article uses resources such as a study conducted in 2016 on college athletes and details from their own scientific research. For instance, the article provides several possible “signs that an athlete may need an assessment of their mental health…” (Cleveland Clinic). The Cleveland Clinic emphasizes the importance of being able to notice changes in athletes who are dealing with inner struggles. The interviewed doctor in the article, Dr. Sacco, gives their input on what should be done to improve the mental health of athletes based on the information presented. He makes it clear that it is important to make young athletes acknowledge the fact that it is okay to have open conversations. He brings up the point that “prominent athletes sharing their experiences has drawn more attention to the topic in recent years. The ongoing discussion started by these influential voices has broadened our understanding of mental health issues” (Cleveland Clinic). Athletes are raised in a competitive environment that disfavors speaking out about mental health problems because it can label you as weak. Fans and the competitive environment play major factors in this because no one really wants to care about what mental problems an athlete is facing. They mainly care about if they can help their team win games. “Open conversation and an acknowledgment that mental health needs to be a priority, says Dr. Sacco” (Cleveland Clinic). Encouraging these conversations can help towards building a positive environment for athletes. Giving them access to an available therapist when necessary will definitely help. The Cleveland Clinic is a reliable source and has strong credibility, so it should be important to understand their standpoint on this topic.
Going back to Simone Biles’ story through her efforts and actions to encourage openly speaking about mental health issues, she brings up another great point. She once said to a reporter, “I don’t think you realize how dangerous this is on [a] hard/[competitive] surface. Nor do I have to explain why I put health first. Physical health is mental health” (Bachynski). Athletes tend to feel like they have to explain why they may make certain decisions to better improve their mental health. This could stress them out more due to fans and reporters wanting a clear answer. Athletes shouldn’t have to always explain themselves because why should they have to explain the choices they make for their own bodies? Not having a clear headspace can cause catastrophic injuries, and this can be reduced if athletes can focus on their mental health more. Specifically talking about gymnasts, they tend to retire soon after they reach adulthood. This results in strict and dangerous influences in many young gymnasts’ careers. They are encouraged to continue pushing themselves despite clear risks because their careers won’t last long. “Early specialization poses higher risks of physical harm, notably overuse injuries associated with repetitive body movements and inadequate recovery times. Psychological risks include burnout, anxiety and eating disorders” (Bachynski). This should not be normalized, and young gymnasts should not have to conform to these norms. During the 1997 Olympics, gymnast Kerri Strug injured her ankle screaming in pain. However, she was cheered for after landing a vault on her injured ankle. Strug collapsed in pain, but was praised for doing so. Her 14 year old teammate Dominique Moceneau later said, “I was not allowed to say I was in pain until I collapsed” (Bachynski). This was the norm and could possibly still be the norm today. Another horrific incident is the sexual and emotional abuse from Team USA trainer Larry Nassar, “who was found guilty of abusing hundreds of young American gymnasts for decades…” (Bachynski). These young gymnasts were too afraid to speak up because of the environment they were in. They feared being shamed for not putting up with what they were going through. Biles and other gymnasts such as McKayla Maroney shared their encounters regarding this abuse. Speaking out about the flawed system has helped reformed it so gymnasts today can worry less about the negatives. “Biles’ remarkable achievements will gain even greater power through contributing to a broader push for structural changes that ensure meaningful accountability for sports authorities and organizations that fail to protect athletes” (Bachynski). Many athletes are already aware that they lack the necessary protection and environment to be in their right minds so why is not enough being done about it from the higher ups?
Preventing mental health issues amongst athletes starts by educating them at a young age. However, younger athletes are more neglected than older athletes. “Approximately half of all common mental disorders emerge before the age of 18, including mood, anxiety, eating, substance use and neurodevelopmental disorders” (Purcell). Taking early action can easily prevent mental health issues later on in life. One thing to note is that although professional athletes make up a very tiny amount of athletes in the world, a very large portion of people have played some type of sport in their youth or still do in their adulthood. Younger athletes are pushed to exceed their limits as they believe it is the key to making it towards the next level. Although it is true that you must push yourself to become better, it can also come with negative drawbacks. “Researchers have highlighted the benefits of exercise and supportive developmental pathway sports environments for young athletes. However, negative consequences of a performance outcome focus include pressures to perform, perfectionism, burn-out and overtraining, abuse and maltreatment, parental pressure or conflict, increased susceptibility to injury and risk-taking by training through pain, injury, and exhaustion” (Purcell). These potential issues can escalate at a higher rate especially if the athlete is still going through puberty. Encouraging these norms increases the chances of long-term impaired mental well-being. “Routine clinical evaluations of a large sample of youth elite athletes performed by trained professionals found that 16.9% were currently experiencing at least one mental disorder… Current mental health symptoms self-reported by youth athletes have ranged from 6.7% for anxiety to 9.5% for depression, while 23% of youth athletes report at least four or more mixed symptoms across both the past year and lifetime” (Purcell). These numbers should alarm medical professionals and parents as well. In an environment that promotes disregarding your mental well-being, these numbers could continue to increase if nothing is done.
Building new environments and reforming current ones can help towards the mental health issue in athletes. Promoting mental well-being can build resilience in the long run. Having more therapists accessible to athletes and encouraging more discussions about mental health are simply solutions to this problem. The negative stigma athletes face from wanting to speak out about their personal well being should be destroyed. At the end of the day, athletes are people too, and fans should understand that. Sports organizations should implement regular mental health check-ups and train coaches to be able to help any issues their players are having. Proper funding should be given to these organizations so mental health can be made a top priority just like physical health. Based on athletes’ accounts and from scientific research, it is clear this is a critical issue that demands attention and action.