On May 31, tennis star Naomi Osaka announced her decision to pull out of the French Open for mental health reasons. This sparked conversation on the topic of athletes and mental health that has resounded around the world and has shone a light on the ongoing battle for mental health awareness within the sports industry. Her actions have opened the door to healthy dialogue and discussion about the aspects of the sports industry that still leave much to be desired.
As a highly publicized industry that praises perfection, exceptionality and exhibits a strong aversion to showing “weakness”, sports often leave little to no room for mistakes. For this reason, the topic of mental health and struggles athletes face with it has been stigmatized and overlooked for too long. It has only been recently that professional athletes have begun to speak out and become vulnerable in showing that, while they may seem untouchable in the public’s eyes, they are human too.
An Athlete’s Job
If asked for the definition of an athlete and their job, most people would respond with a statement similar to that of an individual who excels—and whose job it is to excel—in sports.
However, the reality of being an athlete makes it so that their job entails so much more than this simple definition states. Over time, sports have become increasingly elevated in public view and, as a result, athletes have adapted to this change and cemented the tradition of appealing themselves to the public. This means that the job of athletes not only includes exhibiting peak performance within the individual sport, but also knowledge of the world of media, news and entertainment.
This merging of sports performance and navigation of the public view has become a given in the sports industry. However, while many of the marketing and PR tactics athletes and managers utilize are necessary in today’s environment, not enough has been said on the toll it takes upon the athletes themselves.
Up to 35 percent of elite athletes suffer from a mental health crisis and out of this, only 10 percent seek help or treatment of any kind. This is a large disparity that is caused, in large part, because of stigma. Stigma leads athletes to believe that problems with mental health are a sign of weakness, not trademark signs of a ‘winner’ and would be seen as such by peers, managers and the public.
Another significant reason for this disparity is due to the lack of appropriate action taken by sports governing bodies to be proactive in ensuring the prioritization of mental—and not just physical—health.
Recent Changes in Sports and Mental Health
Over the past few years, there has been an uptick in the number of elite athletes who have come forward to share their struggles with mental health. With celebrity status athletes such as Aly Raisman, Dorothy Hamill, Michael Phelps and more sharing their experiences with anxiety, depression and other mental health illnesses, there has been considerable progress made in destigmatizing the topic of mental health. Large sports bodies such as the NFL, NCAA, USA Gymnastics and more have increased their efforts to destigmatize mental health in athletes.
Recent events, however, have shown that there is still much to be desired in ensuring the prioritization of mental health in athletes. Naomi Osaka, the highest-paid female athlete in the world and first women’s player to win her first four Grand Slam finals since Monica Seles in 1991, faced great controversy this weekend. Osaka announced her intentions to not participate in required French Open press conferences due to concerns over her mental health.
“I thought it was better to exercise self-care and skip the press conferences. I announced it preemptively because I do feel like the rules are quite outdated in parts and I wanted to highlight that.”
Naomi Osaka
She stated that she had faced long periods of depression since she won the 2018 US Open and experiences a great deal of social anxiety, which press conferences only worsened. Her decision, however, was met with a fine of $15,000 and threats by officials to expel her from the tournament. As a result, she decided to withdraw from the French Open entirely.
This left the media in a flurry, with many athletes offering their support for Osaka’s decision and disappointment with the way the Grand Slams handled the situation. Her action is not only notable and brave, it is also a rarity to witness. This is because we have witnessed more than a few athletes who have spoken of their struggles with mental health after the fact. However, very few have addressed their mental health challenges as they are going through them, while remaining transparent with the public that they are taking action to put their mental health first.
Why is this Relevant?
As a result of Osaka’s decision and the support from athletes and the public, the Grand Slams have released a statement pledging to address players’ concerns about mental health. Showing how a brave decision made by high-profile players with large platforms can instigate change for the better.
Osaka’s recent actions as well as the actions of numerous athletes before her to speak out on the need for more mental health support for athletes serve two main purposes: humanize athletes and reiterate the importance of mental health in athletes. These statements of vulnerability by such prominent and idolized figures make it increasingly difficult for fans, coaches and sponsors to downplay or overlook mental health. They also don’t allow for an environment that makes light of the need for careful monitoring and treatment of mental illness in athletes.
What is the Future of Mental Health Awareness?
It is easy to become complacent in thinking that because you are not a prominent figure or have a large platform, there is nothing you can do to help. However, we can increase awareness through our words and actions.
The main thing is to stay educated. Knowledge enables understanding, empathy and action, which are all essential for being a part of progress. This can entail following athletes advocating for mental health on social media (such as Victoria Garrick, Kevin Love, and Colin Wilson), following personal stories on mental health by athletes, flagging news subjects regarding mental health and sports on Apple News to get alerts or anything that allows you to learn.
It is important to realize the power you hold as an individual. Although athletes like Osaka take the first step in bringing about change, they cannot do more than that without people like us to keep the momentum going. So, when things like Osaka’s decision become controversy and news, even just commenting or tweeting to show your support can make all the difference. If we all do this, it creates greater pressure for there to be cultural shifts instigated because the whole world is looking (or so we make it seem).
At the moment, although there is significant improvement in the dialogue surrounding mental health, there is still much that needs to change. Awareness means attention, which is something lawmaking bodies respond to. By bringing attention to mental health for athletes, we are putting pressure on governing bodies and academic institutions to step up and implement new policies that require the prioritization of mental health.
We’ve seen how greater awareness breeds change, with many organizations bringing on board psychiatrists and specialists. Using those services spurs destigmatization and increasing openness to the overall discussion of mental health. By showing sports governing bodies that we value the mental health of athletes, we are doing our part to destigmatize the topic of mental health for all. We are letting these high-profile individuals know that we don’t expect perfection from them, and by doing so, we are normalizing vulnerability within the community while prioritizing mental health for everyone.
Mental health is a topic that rises above all boundaries of race, sex and age, and while younger generations are facing less and less stigmatization, this discussion is one that must be continued.
Don’t forget, the engine propelling change is made up of people like you and I—without us, there is little chance for progress.
Feel free to contact me at cho.katie@outlook.com
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