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By revealing their mental health struggles, pro athletes are scoring with fans
By Dae Hee Kwak, University of Michigan
On June 5, 2024, the Boston Red Sox placed relief pitcher Chris Martin on the 15-day injured list. It wasn’t for a sore shoulder, a tight elbow or a tweaked groin.
It was for anxiety.
Historically, the MLB’s injured list was used for players with physical injuries. If players missed time due to mental health ailments, the explanation given to the media and public was often intentionally vague: “personal reasons.”
When players did open up about their struggles, many reporters and fans criticized or questioned these diagnoses. In 2009, The New York Times published an article quoting a psychiatrist who doubted that a professional baseball player could suffer from social anxiety disorder.
“In baseball, you don’t hit most of the time and you make errors some of the time. You learn to deal with it,” the psychiatrist told the paper. “A person with social anxiety disorder would never have played to begin with.”
A lot has changed since 2009. There’s a growing focus on ensuring that professional athletes have access to mental health support.
The NBA in 2018 launched its Mind Health Program, which requires each team to have a licensed mental health professional available for players and staff. The NFL also mandates teams to retain a behavioral health clinician who is on site at least twice per week.
But what do fans think? Are athletes with mental health issues seen as weak? Do they become less likable?
In a series of studies, my colleagues and I have looked at how fans have responded to athletes opening up about their mental health struggles, and even missing time because of them.
Expectations of mental ‘toughness’
Even though strides have been made over the past couple of years, many people still have a difficult time opening up about their mental health struggles in the workplace.
Read Full Story https://theconversation.com/by-revealing-their-mental-health-struggles-pro-athletes-are-scoring-with-fans-233203