When Simone Biles walked off the floor and opted out of six of her six artistic gymnastics finals during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics due to a mental block, she shone a bright light on mental health issues in sports and the pressure that high-level athletes competing at both the Olympics and in professional sports leagues face on a near daily basis. Athletes such as Simone Biles, tennis player Naomi Osaka, basketball players Kevin Love and Demar DeRozan, and Michael Phelps have all used their platforms as professional athletes to advocate for mental health and to encourage young athletes to seek help rather than remain silent. These athletes have taught us that we need to have more open and honest discussions on mental health for athletes, especially within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
There is no doubt that COVID-19 has pushed mental health front and centre for athletes as athletes faced unprecedented challenges including the closure of training facilities and competition cancellations. Even when sports returned, athletes competed under strict COVID-19 restrictions, no audiences, and under the uncertainty of whether COVID-19 would shut down training facilities once more. Not to mention that the need to train on a daily basis to keep up with the best athletes and the pressure to succeed can affect athletes’ physical abilities to compete at the highest level. Athletes are creatures of habit: Sticking with a training schedule can be crucial for athletes to peak at crucial moments during the season. The constant stress and anxiety over maintaining their physical form, improving athletic performance, and being unable to compete would only serve to put more pressure on athletes’ mental health. Just because an athlete looks physically healthy does not mean that they are in great health overall.
But why now? Why did it take a global pandemic to finally bring mental health in sports into the spotlight? On one hand, the Tokyo Olympics, as one of the world’s foremost international sporting competitions, magnifies issues at an unprecedented scale. On the other hand, the growing conversations surrounding mental health awareness are helping athletes break the stigma to push these issues into the spotlight. The stigma that athletes are larger than life and are seemingly infallible at the highest level masks the fact that athletes, despite their incredible physical abilities, are just like you and I, filled with dreams, doubts, and insecurities. Many athletes have learned to keep their emotions bottled up so they can be seen as “mentally tough” to coaches, teammates, and fans. Painting athletes as regular people in need of help like everyone else would help to encourage athletes to seek help, regardless of their performance level.
In today’s world, we need to put more focus on breaking the stigma on mental health. With more athletes sharing their personal stories about their struggles with mental health, these conversations will broaden our understanding on mental health issues in sports. The old mantra of “pushing through” mental health concerns won’t work during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. I applaud all the athletes for voicing their thoughts on mental health and encouraging young athletes to seek help during these uncertain times. Similar to entering into a new sports season, as we head into a new school year, take the time to reflect on how you arrived here and do not be afraid to ask for help. We are all people and right now, it is okay to not be okay.