Why Has Mental Health in Top Athletes Been Disregarded?

Ever since the pandemic began, we have seen drastic changes in mental health, specifically in athletes.

By: Paloma 11.3

An image taken of Regents’ secondary building from the Tuk Shop.

With Naomi Osaka and Simone Biles both dropping out of major competitions due to their mental health, a lot of controversies have followed suit. Many critics have questioned whether their issues were to do with the extra pressure from media expectations, or whether they simply did not have the mental strength required from topflight professionals.

In late May of 2021, during the French Open in Paris, Japanese tennis player Naomi Osaka decided to not participate in the press conference following the competition. She stated that “people have no regard for athlete’s mental health and that many of them break down after a loss in the press room”. However, a few days after her statement was released, Osaka was fined 15,000 dollars for skipping the press conference by all four Grand Slam tournaments – Roland Garros, Wimbledon, the US Open, and the Australian Open. The four major organisations stated, in a joint publication, that it was a matter of fairness for other players. Ultimately, this led to her dropping out of the French Open. Although, Osaka is not the first athlete to have done this. English cricketer Ben Stokes took an ‘indefinite break’ to focus on his mental health, back in August 2021, alongside Australian basketball Liz Cambridge and gymnastic phenomenon Simone Biles, who also have withdrawn from major competitions.

It’s no surprise that doing a proper amount of exercise every day and eating balanced diets is beneficial for your health. However, when an athlete’s sport becomes their full-time job, they can get pushed to their limits. Working out can feel like a chore and seeing family and friends can feel like a rare event. This can all contribute to the formation of severe mental health issues – anxiety and depression. Ever since the pandemic began, athletes have been under enormous pressure to keep up with their fitness and health. Ensuring they would be in top shape whenever competitions would proceed. However, the curtain has fallen, and the public has been able to see more of what athletes go through on a day-to-day basis. According to the website ‘Athletes for Hope’, up to 35% of elite athletes live with mental illnesses. Ever since sports has been focused on the media, the physical and mental well-being of athletes has been overlooked by seniors. Organisations and brands have only been caring about the money that follows them. Reality tv shows such as Love Island and The Bachelors have mentioned that they have mental health experts on set so that contestants are at ease and feel comfortable whilst taking part in the shows – where is this support for athletes? Every time one chooses to take a break, they are called ‘lazy’ or are even bullied off social media.

Discussions about mental health have become less and less taboo thanks to some of the world’s highest paying athletes. By raising awareness, millions of people will learn and understand that mental health should be taken seriously in sports. However, this is only the start. Athletes are people with ‘feet of clay’ and inner lives, just like everyone else, and deserve our empathy and respect for saying ‘no’.

If you yourself are feeling anxious or are experiencing any symptoms related to mental illness, please contact your form tutor or any teacher that you feel comfortable talking to.