Mental health in sports

THE PRICE TO PLAY

McLean athletes grapple with mental health issues

JOSH BASS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF | TANNER COERR ONLINE SPORTS EDITOR

It’s 7:30—wake up. You’ve got a long day ahead of you: school, practice, work, studying. Do you have time for all that? Who knows, that’s a future you problem. At this point, it’s a routine. Deal with it.

“Man up.” If you play sports, you’ve heard these words or some variation of them at least once. You can’t forget: not too long ago the words ‘mental health’ were foreign to the sports community. Today, they’re at the forefront.

It’s been a couple months since gymnast Simone Biles withdrew from the 2020 Olympic games for mental health reasons, and Americans are still split because of her decision. With certain viewers contending that she let her country down and others claiming her mental health is of higher importance, the debate has been heated.

Since then, other athletes have begun to follow suit, sharing their battles with mental health related problems. With the likes of Naomi Osaka and Michael Phelps sharing their mental health stories, one thing is certain: the world has been put on notice.

While it may come as a surprise to the media, the subject of mental health crises in sports is not new to athletes. Many people aspire to play sports at a high level without knowing the true nature of what it takes. What is seen on television is not always an accurate reflection of the lifestyle.

This is not to say that the problem is exclusive to professional athletes. Across the world, athletes at every level struggle with mental health.

At McLean, athletes often have to deal with practices that are several hours long immediately after a seven-hour school day.

This complex time budgeting can push students over the edge, especially considering that Fairfax County is one of the most competitive school districts in the country.

“The most common misconception [people have about athletes] is that they have everything all figured out,” school psychologist Carol Ann Forrest said.

While game winning touchdowns, hat tricks in playoff games and amazing saves on seemingly unstoppable shots are all exciting moments full of ecstasy, viewers often never know the dedication that goes into reaching such high skill levels. And while this dedication is admirable, it often comes at the expense of academic and social successes— an extremely unhealthy lifestyle.

“What’s important is that there needs to be a balance,” Forrest said. “Each individual student should learn to have a balance of academic responsibilities as well as an opportunity to develop other aspects of who they are.”

With most McLean sports practices being held every day of the week, the consistency and intensity of these schedules prevent students from achieving this balance in their lives.

Swimmers have it especially difficult. Practices often take place several hours before school starts, leaving swimmers exhausted before they even start the school day. This sort of scheduling leads to unnatural sleep schedules, which can have huge repercussions for the athletes.

“Throughout middle school and freshman year, I was a pretty competitive swimmer, swimming six times a week in morning practices and getting up at 3:55 a.m. every day,” senior Atticus Gore said. “[While following this schedule] I was simultaneously having mental health issues. Because of this, I ultimately had to stop swimming [that intensely].”

The mental and physical aspects of sports are undeniably intertwined. Like Gore, who struggled to meet strict schedule expectations, other swimmers have felt the adverse effects of the resulting lack of sleep.

“I have 100% seen my friends and fellow swimmers go down the wrong path or suffer mentally because of swimming. If you’re not fully committed you can burn out really fast. It’s sad to see my friends fall off the way they do,” senior varsity swimmer Ryan Sribar said. “Ever since I’ve been doing morning swimming, sleep has been a problem for me. I’m constantly tired and feel like I need to take naps in class. It’s apparent in every aspect of my life.”

It’s easy to shrug off some of the ramifications of a lack of sleep. Taking a nap at school or experiencing fatigue can seem like negligible problems. Who hasn’t had to stay up late to study for a test once or twice? However, a consistent lack of sleep can lead to serious problems.

“One night I went to bed late doing homework and had to wake up early for practice,” Sribar said. “After school and being tired all day, I was driving home from school and fell asleep behind the wheel, crashing and totaling my car.”

Luckily, Sribar was not injured. But with

THE MOST COMMON MISCONCEPTION [PEOPLE HAVE ABOUT ATHLETES] IS THAT THEY HAVE EVERYTHING ALL FIGURED OUT.”

- CAROL ANN FORREST SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST

in a poll of 113 McLean student athletes:

69% said they have felt overstressed because of their sport

28.3%

said they have struggled with food intake due to an injury

51.8% reported having experienced extreme anxiety due to their sport

17.7% said they have had suicidal thoughts because of their sport the unrelenting schedule of swim practices and meets showing no signs of changing, it is very possible that an accident like the one Sribar was involved in could repeat itself with even graver consequences.

Sports injuries are some of the main catalysts for such problems. Especially in contact sports where getting hurt is commonplace, a season-ending injury could be detrimental to already vulnerable mental health. Particularly prevalent in football, one of the most violent sports with constant collisions, injuries are a huge threat.

The toxic “man up” mindset in football pushes athletes back into the game before they are fully recovered, which can lead to worse injuries in the future. Junior linebacker Mateo Short, for example, suffered from bone issues in his shin during his sophomore football season but felt that he had to play through the pain.

“My run started looking weird because I couldn’t put a lot of pressure on the balls of my feet. It hurt so much,” Short said. “[Despite the pain,] I just played through it. I kept running on my tibias and stressing them out even more.”

After the season, Short’s X-rays showed that his tibias were on the brink of breaking from the excessive workload.

Another mental aspect of sports which has real-world consequences is athletes’ body image. Athletes must constantly be striving for peak performance, even if it means pushing their bodies past their limits. Considering the world of sports is one which demands certain physical standards at the expense of all else, athletes can form eating disorders easily.

“I do a sport where I stare in the mirror for hours on end,” an anonymous Highlander said. “I have definitely struggled with my food intake and the mental health effects [as a result].”

As a result of this pursuit of a certain body type, athletes often struggle to eat the correct amount due to a mental block formed by injury. A study by Margot Putukian for the NCAA found a direct link between injuries and eating disorders.

“During my injury in sophomore year, I couldn’t eat at first,” a second anonymous source said. “It made me upset that the injury ended my season and later led me to eat a lot.”

While McLean offers a variety of resources to students suffering from issues like depression or anxiety, students needing help regarding eating disorders or other body image problems are referred to external resources for help.

“I agree that [eating disorders] are issues,” Forrest said. “However, they are not the responsibility of the school.”

Because of this, having a strong support system may be the most helpful option for students struggling with these specific issues.

“My swim coach was probably one of the most supportive and helpful people that I’ve had in my life,” Gore said. “He pushed me to get the help that I need. It was really important to him that I knew it was okay to [not be okay].”

Slowly but surely, mental health issues surrounding athletes are becoming less stigmatized. Coaches and administrators are encouraging student athletes to take time off and receive proper help for their mental health.

The general awareness of these issues is trending upwards, but there is still a long way to go before mental health and physical health are treated on the same level.

“I think the most important thing is to take time for yourself and be cognizant of what you’re doing to yourself,” Gore said. “Sometimes I feel like there’s wasted potential, but at the end of the day, I’m so much happier.”

I DO A SPORT WHERE I STARE IN THE MIRROR FOR HOURS ON END. I HAVE DEFINITELY STRUGGLED WITH MY FOOD INTAKE AND THE MENTAL HEALTH EFFECTS [AS A RESULT].”

- ANONYMOUS HIGHLANDER