Portrait of Mental Health in Sports

If you’ve ever been involved in sports, you know that athletes experience highs and lows. One moment, you’re on top of the world because you won the big game; the next moment, you’re lost in the off-season due to extensive fatigue both mentally and physically.

You have the desire to be the best, to be tough, and to put your well-being on the back burner for the sake of performance. You may feel shame and guilt when you fall short of your performance goals — and anxiety when a match doesn’t go the way you hoped. Perhaps everything you do is open to scrutiny and an onslaught of social media criticism. In these ways, athletes experience a unique set of challenges, and even though your favorite players may seem like superheroes on the field, they struggle much like anyone else when the cameras aren't rolling.

Additionally, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has continued to press down on the sports world. Rates of hopelessness, anxiety, mental exhaustion, and depression are between 1.5 and 2 times higher than pre-pandemic levels, according to a study conducted by the NCAA, which involved almost 10,000 student-athletes over the last two years.

The world is coming around to the idea of voicing your struggles and getting support when you need it, and the athletic organizations have generally followed suit. However, it is important that we shine light on the systemic conditions that are hurting athletes who are trying to keep their mental health in a good place.

We looked at some of the biggest associations in sports — the NBA, NCAA, NFL, MLB, IOC, and MLS — to see what they are doing to promote wellness. This article is the first of a series where we will dive into each individual association to see what services, resources, and struggles each league faces and how they are handling them.

For starters, one consistent factor across all these associations is that they provide athletes with free comprehensive mental health services. Many leagues offer resources for athletes (and their families) and are involved with mental health advocacy programs.

An excellent example is the NFL’s “Total Wellness,” a comprehensive health and wellness committee formed in 2012. In addition to this inclusive program, another free and discrete third-person service was created for players and those close to them. It’s called the NFL Help Line and provides counseling and educational resources.

The NBA launched its own program in 2019, aiming to bring on staff who could help address mental health struggles and provide resources. 

The MLB and MLS both have 24/7 wellness portals that can be accessed by phone or online.

The NCAA partnered with the Sports Science Institute to develop a simplified mental health handbook called “Best Practices.” The collegiate association has regularly provided other associations with great research to give insight into the status of those in the industry. 

The IOC has a board of 20 psychiatrists, psychologists, athlete representatives, and sports medicine professionals who have done extensive research to provide their competitors with scientific knowledge and the best treatment options. They publish statements on these findings, which have informed athletes, coaches, and associations alike to revamp their mental health resources.

As always, the first step to making the leap into therapy, or even just wellness in general, is knowledge. These athletic associations have no shortage of blogs, educational videos, studies, scholarly articles, and testimonials for those who want to know more.

Another common trend we noted is that celebrity athletes are speaking up to ease the stigma around mental health struggles. Hearing stories about people like Naomi Osaka, who left the French Open due to social anxiety, and Serena Williams, who’s dealing with postpartum depression, can make struggling a little less strange and taboo. On every sports association’s website, emergency resources (such as suicide helplines) are listed along with messages like “you are not alone.”

The resources are present, but the stigma still remains. The NCAA study mentioned earlier says that although over 60% of students knew where to go for help, less than 45% said they felt comfortable doing so. Associations like the IOC and NBA have noted they want to normalize the need for support. They want to foster a healthy environment for players who need to understand their emotions, so they can thrive both on and off the field. The NFL and NCAA asserted that mental health is an equal part of overall health and should be cared for to the same extent.

Despite the steps forward, we acknowledge that mental health is a complex issue that’s nowhere close to being solved. As much as it’s reassuring to see the increasing standards of awareness, care, and education from the major sports associations, athletes are still struggling. We can always do better. Holding companies accountable for their shortcomings — as well as celebrating their strengths — is the key to truly coming up with solutions for the ongoing mental health crisis among athletes.

In that sense, everyone shares the same goal — to provide comprehensive mental health support to athletes and their families. This series will attempt to gain better understanding of each association’s efforts and shortcomings.

Just remember: healing is possible. If you choose to chase your dreams, you deserve a level of care and compassion that aligns with your needs. With this series, you’ll learn what to expect from athletic associations so you can make informed decisions for your mental health.