by Emma Weiss, George Washington University
Now, more than ever, mental health is at the forefront of every conversation. The COVID-19 pandemic brought about widespread mental health awareness, as more people struggled with anxiety, depression, and other mental illnesses.
Athletes around the world have started to shed light onto the struggles and pressures they face on a day-to-day basis. 23-year-old tennis star, Naomi Osaka said she would not speak to journalists after competing in the French Open, citing her mental health concerns as to why not. She faced fines for doing so. Seven-time Olympic medalist and gymnast Simone Biles, pulled out of multiple events during the Olympics, putting her mental health first. “The Greatest of All Time,” as people call her, faced backlash from Olympic viewers as some thought of this as a publicity stunt to gain attention.
Both Naomi and Simone, athletes competing at the highest of levels, have truly brought the mental health conversation to professional sports. They shed light onto the importance of putting yourself first, getting help, and the pressures and anxieties they deal with. Despite the recent traction this topic has received, it still lacks in the college sports space.
Overall, college students struggle immensely with mental health issues, and the pandemic only worsened the situation. A Best Colleges survey found that “95% of students in college have faced negative mental health symptoms as a result of COVID-19” (Vuleta). The Jed Foundation discovered that 82% of students reported struggling with anxiety and 63% struggling with depression during the pandemic (Vuleta).
Student-athletes not only experienced the typical stress and anxiety all students faced during the pandemic, but they had to go through an additional strain that only caused more distress on their lives. At the beginning of the pandemic, all students were sent home from school and forced to deal with a shift to a virtual world, but student-athletes found their lives flipped up-side down. Practice schedules, daily routines, games or meets, etc. were all temporarily canceled, and for the athletes who were seniors, they were completely done. The sudden, drastic change in lifestyle that many student-athletes faced was extremely difficult on their mental health. It was found that “25% of college athletes struggle with mental illness” and that “6.3% of all student-athletes show signs and symptoms of depression” (Covington). These statistics have covered the last year and a half, showing that this issue is still present and has not disappeared.
Although these statistics show the need for mental health awareness, guidance, and assistance, schools and athletic programs lack the proper tools and resources to help. The NCAA provides materials but does not regulate or require how teams can start to help their student-athletes improve their mental health, something many might not be able to do on their own, because mental health itself, can be seen as a social justice issue.
Social justice, defined, is the concept that everyone deserves economic, political, and social equality in terms of rights and opportunities they have. To build on that, as Novak states, “the virtue of social justice is ideologically neutral…it allows for people of good will to reach different – even opposing – practical judgements about the material content of the common good (ends) and how to get there (means)” (Novak). Altogether, social justice is the concept of equality for all, by all.
Through this lens, one can see how mental health is an issue of social justice. Access to proper health care, itself, is a social justice issue that many understand, and under that umbrella comes mental health. For years now, the fight for health care for all has been going strong, and thanks to the Affordable Care Act, over 20 million people gained health coverage (Center for Budget and Policy Priorities). With greater access and coverage comes greater education and understanding of health issues for all, which in turn, would create equality for all in this arena. This is what we need for student-athletes and mental health resources.
As previously stated, the world has started to understand the importance of mental health, but it has not yet reached its fullest potential. There should be a more transformative movement for mental health awareness for all, by all, but starting with an extremely vulnerable population, such as college level student-athletes would be best.
Mental health is a real, and important issue many face, especially college level student-athletes. Even though the NCAA provides educational resources, best practices for campuses, collects data and research, holds summits, and has tasks forces all for mental health, there is no regulation on how schools and programs should utilize what is provided. If a sports program’s staff and students were educated on the tools and resources they have, mental health issue prevention and assistance would be more easily accessible for student-athletes. The NCAA should regulate a mental health educational workshop for all athletic programs as well as require mental health clinicians to be on staff to be there to check-in on and support students year-round.
Student-athletes are under immense pressure and stress, need regulated mental health programming. For the athletes who may not know what anxiety and depression are, for those who do not how to deal with their mental health, those who do not have the time to search for help on their own, or those who cannot afford a psychologist or psychiatrist.
Some might believe that this type of service is not needed in college sports, but as Gill stated about Harry Edwards, “(one must) possess the courage to confront conditions in sports that other believe cannot be transformed” (Gill, 138). The NCAA must possess the courage to assist student-athletes educate themselves, and combat mental health issues and stereotypes, and get assistance.
References
“Chart Book: Accomplishments of Affordable Care Act.” Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 19 Mar. 2019, www.cbpp.org/research/health/chart-book-accomplishments-of-affordable-care-act.
Covington, Taylor. “2021 Mental Health Statistics.” The Zebra, 8 July 2021, www.thezebra.com/resources/research/mental-health-statistics/ .
Futterman, Matthew. “Naomi Osaka Says She Won’t Talk to Journalists at the French Open.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 27 May 2021, www.nytimes.com/2021/05/26/sports/tennis/naomi-osaka-french-open-no-interviews.html.
Gill, E. (2010). Staying true to the game: The legacy of Harry Edwards. Journal for the Study of Sports and Athletes in Education, 139-143
“Mental Health.” NCAA.org – the Official Site of the NCAA, www.ncaa.org/sport-science-institute/mental-health.
Novak, M. (2000). Defining social justice. First things, 11-12.
Vuleta, Branka. “23 Alarming College Student Mental Health Statistics.” What To Become, 1 Sept. 2021, whattobecome.com/blog/college-student-mental-health-statistics/.
