The Mental Health of Athletes

As a former athlete, participating in swimming and basketball, I know the first-hand pressures that sports has and how it can affect the mind and mental health of athletes, both positively and negatively. From the pre-game jitters, to beating yourself up when you make a mistake during a game, to the post-game celebrations or criticisms; this all has an effect on an athlete's mental health.

While general psychology has become a hot topic over the past few years, it's slowly making its way into the sport industry. I actually took a Sport Psychology course during my Junior year, where I learned about the importance of emotional intelligence and goal setting in sports, as well as, the different effects that team sports and individual sports has on an athlete.

So, ultimately, what is the importance of sport psychology?

Sports aren't simply physical, they're very much mental. An athlete's mental state, includes their focus on their sport, their confidence in their performance and their compatibility with their teammates, if they play team sports. For professional athletes, the media adds an extra layer to the stressors on their athletic performance. How? By worrying about how the media will portray them. For example, an athlete like Serena Williams, who is a black woman, definitely thinks about the media portraying her as the angry black woman stereotype, while also trying to focus on tennis. Another athlete that comes to mind is LeBron James Jr. (Bronny). We constantly see how his game is being compared to his father's. This might subconsciously affect how he plays basketball. If he doesn't play his best, the media will say he's overrated; if he does play well, the media will question if he'll be able to surpass his father's legacy. These are just a few of the many instances where an athlete's mental health can affect their performance on and/or off the court.

With this blog, I plan on unpacking and taking a deeper look at different examples where the mental health of those apart of the sport industry has or can be affected by sports. This includes their performance on and/or off-the-court, as well as their relationships with others, like their teammates, friends or family.