"We are just not your entertainment, we are humans." - Simone Biles
About
Imagine yourself standing at the starting line on a track. Runners are side by side all line up on the starting line. This is one of the biggest meets ever. You are nervous. Your legs are shaky, and there are butterflies in your stomach. You almost want to cry because you're so nervous. The person with the gun tells all the runners to go stand at the line. The gun goes off, and you immediately take the lead. You are ahead and in full lead for the majority of the race. You are now on your final lap and on the final straightway. You push yourself with all your might as your legs are burning. You see the line and tell yourself you are almost there. All of sudden a runner runs right past you. Then another one flies by with a few more. You try with all your might but its too late. You are past the finish line. You look up at the scoreboard and see that your time was off. You are upset and everyone around you seems disappointed you didn't win. Immediately, you hurry and grab your bag and head to academic center to take your big biology exam. Now you are currently taking the exam. The butterflies in your stomach return but all you keep thinking about is that race. Time is up and you guessed on the majority of the questions. A few days later you see your grade and it is even worse than the race itself. You get upset. You become sad and you exclude yourself from family and friends because you feel embarrassed, ashamed, and pressured. You are depressed. This is what it is like to be a student athlete with a mental health illness.
Nearly 1-in-5 Americans suffer from a mental illness each year. That's about 42.5 million Americans. Among the general population, the athletic community suffers greatly in mental health. From high school and college to professional sports, there are many athletes dealing with some sort of mental health situation. "Within college athletics, there is approximately 33% that suffer from serious mental health problems. In the elite athletic community, 35% suffer from major mental disorders" (Kuik). This past summer, Simone Biles, a 2x gold medalist Olympian, had to drop out of team finals right after her performance in the vault. She left the stage and returned in her warmup suit as she watched the rest of her team perform. Biles stated she felt "in shape and good physically." However, she felt increased pressure as one of the best gymnast there"(Pramuk). As a result, Biles dropped out in order to focus on her mental health. Athletes' mental health is often overlooked by their physical health. Pressure, stress, personal life and lack of resources are all factors that affect athletes every day.
Here at UofSC, student athlete, Madison Burlett, researched mental health in student athletes. She found that over 78% of UofSC athletes have to deal with stress over times in a year. She also found that 59% felt like they needed to change their body image for their sport. The university has offered resources for its athletes, but these sources are very limited. In Burlett's, she mentions that "one psychologist covers multiple teams in the school which makes the waitlist very long" (Burlett). Yet, many schools are in similar situations where they have a very limited amount of psychologists to support several athletes in different sports.
Meet the Athletes
To further this conversation, several UofSC share their experiences to emphasize the importance of mental health in the athletic community.
Meet Kensi Gray
She is a junior on the track & field and cross country program majoring in public health. Kensi runs the 5k in cross country and 800m (2 laps) in track, and has been running since freshman year of high school. She loves running because it is challenging, it helps her stay in shape, and she loves the team bonding aspect of it.
1. Has there ever been a time a mental obstacle has held you back physically in a game or competition?
"On days before races, anxiety can hold me back. At nights it is hard to sleep, and the morning of races it is hard to eat."
2. As an athlete, do you feel that the pressure to win and succeed causes mental health problems?
Kensi Gray: "Pressure can amplify problems that you already have such personal issue and other mental health problems. I think that pressure make you want to do well in everything and ignites the stress inside."
3. Do you think doing a combination of sports and academics increases mental health problems among athletes?
"Time management is a huge problem that makes thing difficult in a student athlete setting. I'm unable to do other interests or opportunities because track and schoolwork take up much time already."
4. Is mental illness a ‘taboo’ in the athletic community? Do you think there is a loud enough conversation happening to support athletes who struggle with mental illness?
"I think the 'taboo' of mental illness is decreasing, because mental illness is being brought up more. People are more open to share their mental health problems to others instead of keeping it inside."
Meet Aubrey Houle
She is a junior in the dance program. Currently, she is majoring in Dance performance and choreography with an emphasis in ballet and a minor in biology. She loves dancing because she is able to tell stories through it and it helps her stay healthy. In addition, Aubrey loves to dance because it proves she is capable of doing things despite her visual impairments. She also is passionate about dancing because wants to teach and share it with the community.
1. Has there ever been a time a mental obstacle has held you back physically in a game or competition?
"A lot of personal life has affected my dancing life. There was a car accident that nearly threatened my life. As a result, it has caused anxiety attacks. There are also times, I have compared myself to other dancers and worried about what others think."
2. As an athlete, do you feel that the pressure to win and succeed causes mental health problems?
"I believe that winning and succeeding is different for each sport. For dancing, there can sometimes be a competition against peers that can be unhealthy. I also believe that being harder on yourself can be increase pressure."
3. Do you think doing a combination of sports and academics increases mental health problems among athletes?
"Each person is going to have a different relationship with their sport. Personally, I believe that dancing helps me to be disciplined in getting tasks down, which can translate into my academics in getting assignments done."
4. Is mental illness a ‘taboo’ in the athletic community? Do you think there is a loud enough conversation happening to support athletes who struggle with mental illness?
"I do think it is still a bit of a taboo, but still believe that it is very much an issue. In my dancing classes, I am very grateful how much we talk about mental health. They help prohibit self body talk and have support from my professors."
Meet Emilia Reutimann
She is a sophomore on the Equestrian team majoring in public health while heading on a pre-dental track. She has been doing equestrian since she was 4 yrs old and has stayed with it because she loves handling and working with different horses.
1. Has there ever been a time a mental obstacle has held you back physically in a game or competition?
"I had a horse fall down on me one day while I was training, and I had to go to the hospital. After that, for a very long time, it was hard for me to push as hard as I needed to and go as fast as I should when I was competing because I was so scared of it happening again. It really was a mental block that took me a long time to get over. I didn’t end up seriously injured from the original fall, but I was always nervous that it was going to happen again and I would get seriously hurt. "
2. As an athlete, do you feel that the pressure to win and succeed causes mental health problems?
"I feel like as athletes we are already competitive and put a lot of pressure on ourselves because, of course, we all want to do well. If you combine that with pressure from parents, teammates, friends and trainers, it’s a lot for one person to handle. "
3. Do you think doing a combination of sports and academics increases mental health problems among athletes?
"On one hand, I really want to be successful in school and get the career that I want, so I feel like I need to do more studying. On the other hand, I really want to be successful and an asset to my team, so I feel like I need to practice and train more and sacrifice school. "
4. Is mental illness a ‘taboo’ in the athletic community? Do you think there is a loud enough conversation happening to support athletes who struggle with mental illness?
"Recently there has definitely been a lot more conversation happening around mental illness, but I do think we still have awhile to go before it’s where it needs to be. I think there are still a lot of people out there who don’t take mental health as seriously as physical health, and in my opinion, they should be on an equal level."
Meet Kiersten Beckner
She is a junior on the Equestrian team majoring in public health and minoring in psychology. She has been doing this sport since she was 6 yrs old. The thing she loves most about this sport is something is different everyday. She also has a passion for Equestrian because she can create a bond with the horses which can be very rewarding when it comes down to competition and being successful.
1. Has there ever been a time a mental obstacle has held you back physically in a game or competition?
"Last year (mainly last semester) I had the misfortune of fracturing my L5 vertebrae in my back and it set me out ¾ of our season. Fracturing my back not only was a physical obstacle but it also created a mental obstacle that I still face at times today. Being injured took me out of the thing that I loved most and that really took a toll on my mental health. What some people do not realize is how much impact a sport has on an athlete; when you cannot compete or even practice this can really tear an athlete apart mentally. "
2. As an athlete, do you feel that the pressure to win and succeed causes mental health problems?
"The hardest part about equestrian is that it’s all based on a judge’s opinion so when you do not win, this can take a toll on one’s mental health. It can make you feel as if you were not successful or good enough."
3. Do you think doing a combination of sports and academics increases mental health problems among athletes?
"Being an athlete is also a full time job so when you add in the difficulty of college and the full time job of being an athlete, it can become mentally draining and can create massive amounts of stress and anxiety which are mental health problems."
4. Is mental illness a ‘taboo’ in the athletic community? Do you think there is a loud enough conversation happening to support athletes who struggle with mental illness?
"I think mental illness in athletes WAS taboo several years ago, but in recent times there has been a change for the good of talking about mental illness in athletes.... It is easy to look at an athlete and think that they have it all good because they are an athlete, which is not always the case. Conversations should be louder when it comes to student athletes. "
Meet Mackenzie Matthews
She is a senior on the Equestrian team majoring in both English and Environmental Studies with a track toward pre-law. Mackenzie has been doing Equestrian since she was 6 yrs old and has competed in several events such as horsemanship, showmanship and equitation. She has a strong passion for this sport because of its introduction to so many people and real-world lessons.
1. Has there ever been a time a mental obstacle has held you back physically in a game or competition?
"When I found out that I needed a surgery that would take me out of the sport for a year or more, my mental health took a drastic turn. I relied so much on my sport and my riding to “prove” my worth to myself and others, and the thought of not having that, the one thing I had always done and been good at… I couldn’t take it. I couldn’t get out of bed, I couldn’t eat… it was a dark place. I had to step away from the sport for the rest of the fall and the spring semester."
2. As an athlete, do you feel that the pressure to win and succeed causes mental health problems?
"As a student-athlete, at an SEC school, on a team with a strong history of big wins, it’s very easy to get into the mindset that winning is the only thing that matters. Every day, you’re working on getting better and improving. It’s the sole focus. Everyone is watching you, your numbers, how many minutes you put into it, whether or not you’re winning and getting points for your team, etc."
3. Do you think doing a combination of sports and academics increases mental health problems among athletes?
"Every second of your day is either focused on academics or athletics, and then you get home and you’re so exhausted that all you want to do is crawl into bed... A bad test grade follows you into your performance, a bad competition follows you into the classroom."
4. Is mental illness a ‘taboo’ in the athletic community? Do you think there is a loud enough conversation happening to support athletes who struggle with mental illness?
"I think the conversation is getting louder and louder every year. Watching these huge athletes, like Simone Biles, use their voice on a global stage to speak up, to say “We are more than your entertainment”, is really powerful.... I think the hardest part is that first step, which is recognizing you need help in the first place. But once you’re able to recognize that, and speak up, it can be surprising how much support is there for you."
Conclusion
Although many athletes believe that mental health is finally being addressed, it still needs to be prioritized. Many outsiders view sports just on a physical level, but it takes an equal amount of both physical and mental strength for ALL athletes. There still needs to be more support and resources for athletes. They should feel comfortable expressing their feelings to anybody. Sports are not movies and tv shows for people to just watch for enjoyment. Simone Biles made a statement that was not only for herself but for all who participate in a sport: "We are just not your entertainment, we are humans." "We Are Not Just Your Entertainment, We Are Humans." ESPN, 3, Aug www.espn.com/high-school/baseball/video/clip?id=319482032021.
References
Burlett, Madison. "The Mental Game Athletes Play." University of South Carolina, 2020
Kuik, Robert and Potts Suzanne. "Mental Health and Athletes." Athletes for Hope Pass the Passion, 2019 www.athletesforhope.org/2019/05/mental-health-and-athletes/
"We Are Not Just Your Entertainment, We Are Humans." ESPN, 3, Aug 2021. www.espn.com/high-school/baseball/video/clip?id=31948203
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