Rethinking mental health in the world of sports
By Clare Tweed
There is an historical misconception that athletes are stronger and tougher than the average person in every way. Consequently, many athletes feel the need to conceal their struggles with mental health. In the past many athletes, notably George Best, were not open about their mental health as a result of stigma. However, in more recent times many athletes have come forward and been open with their struggles to show that they are human too, to break the deep-rooted stigma surrounding mental health. There have been many recent criticisms at the disregard for mental health in the sports industry, harsh coaching tactics and social media are the most notable examples.
In recent years, numerous notable athletes in different fields have expressed their struggle to continue their passion for their sport due to their mental state. Simone Biles, the most decorated gymnast of all time, pulled out of the Tokyo 2021 Olympics after experiencing what she referred to as, “twisties”. She explains that due to the stress and anxiety she was feeling she would not be able to complete gymnastic moves, even ones she has been doing for years. She expressed in a teen vogue interview that “walking away from the Olympic Games was a win in itself” and that it was “probably the most courageous I’ve ever been”. Through sharing her story, she acknowledges the empowerment behind understanding your mental health can impact your performance and rather than ignore it, as she may have done in the past, she should put herself first. Another example, closer to home, would be golfer, Rory McIlroy. After missing the cut at the masters in 2022, McIlroy took a break from golf completely after he claimed he needed it for his “mental and emotional well-being.” He explained how the stress and pressure surrounding the build-up to the competition had left him feeling drained and in need of complete disconnect from the sport. The normalisation of athletes being vocal about their mental health struggles can allow for necessary changes required in order to ensure they are protected within their sport.
An area of criticism in recent years surrounds harsh and unnecessarily cruel coaching, especially in women’s football. There is an ongoing case of Sheffield United footballer, Maddy Cusack, who took her own life in September 2023. Her parents have since been pushing for a formal investigation after they allege that Sheffield United manager, Jonathan Morgan’s, treatment of Cusack ultimately lead to the mental anguish that caused her to take her own life. It is alleged that he would taunt her and complained about her weight. Although, at this time, these are just allegations, it raises questions associated with the effect of unnecessarily strict coaching tactics and where the line is to be drawn to ensure no one’s mental suffers as a result. Previous Republic of Ireland manager, Vera Pauw, was exposed in a NWSL investigation into coaching misconduct that she would excessively control players weight and diets. As well during her spell as Republic of Ireland women’s football manager she would subject certain members of the team to media criticism, most notably capital Katie McCabe was put under fire by Pauw during a post-World Cup match conference. This action from managers is not uncommon, however this can subject players to huge amounts of criticism on social media.
Indeed, the use of social media as a platform to criticise and perpetual are unrealistic expectations on athletes has intensified as social media usage becomes more prominent. Not only does social media project the ‘ideal’ image and create unattainable standards for athletes in every sport, it also provides another platform for athletes to face backlash, bullying and negativity. Chelsea football star, Reece James, recently faced another setback in terms of his physical health after suffering a third hamstring problem in a year. After expressing his mental health struggles over the past year due to injury setbacks, most would assume he would be met with support and good wishes. However, James took to Instagram story to express, “Since this injury I’ve had a good amount of support but significantly more hate and negativity”. The impact of social media on athletes’ recovery process can be detrimental as they not only need to ensure they heal physically but mentally as well. An infamous example of social media being weaponised against athletes occurred after the Euro 2020 final. England and Italy were at a stalemate after playing a full game and extra time, therefore the result of the game was to be decided by penalties. England internationals, Marcus Rashford, Jason Sancho and Bukayo Saka were among those who stepped up to the spot to take a penalty and missed. Following the game, the three faced a huge amount of targeted racial abuse online. Social media has become an enabler for abuse to be targeted directly at athletes in huge volumes. The negative impact of this on athletes’ mental health cannot be understated.
Overall, the stigma behind mental health struggles for athletes has demanded a need for athletes to normalise them. The perception of athletes being unable to have these struggles due to their athletic ability is slowly changing, along with the removal of harsh ideologies surrounding the suppression of athletes’ vocalisation on mental health. Excessively strict coaching and abuse of social media are areas that require address in order to ensure the mental health of athletes is protected.
Edited by Ben Coxon
https://www.teenvogue.com/story/simone-biles-athlete-mental-health#:~:text=
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