A Letter to Student Athletes on Mental Health

A letter to student athletes,

This is a letter for you to know that someone cares about you and your health. While you are recognized for your strength, your muscle, your power, your greatness, and while you are defined by your wins and your championships, you encounter much more that others don’t see. Whether you are a college athlete whose face makes millions for your institution, or a high school student trying to be noticed by that one college coach, we see you. We see that you are not entirely your wins and losses, we see that you are not just a person in the weight room, we see that you are layered and deep; we see that while your peers go home after a long day's work that your job is just beginning. You work two full time jobs and while the ones in the stands may criticize the shots you don’t make, we see the real you. 

So much of the struggle is due to the perception, the actions by which you are defined. Sports, to fans at least, are about the high intensity of a competitive game, the buzzer beater shots, the GOAT’s, the richness of a roaring crowd. Due to this, athletes become judged by their abilities in their space; they are judged on the amount of points they make, their defensive abilities, their physical limits on a given day. Thus, people overlook the power of the mind.

As athletes, you are supposed to be tough and strong; you are never supposed to cry, to give up, to take a break, to ask to stop, to take time for yourself. Infact, you are never supposed to have those feelings. The media tells you that the GOAT’s never wanted to stop training, they never got mentally exhausted from the school-sport balance, and when is the media ever wrong? Yet we know that mental strength is just as important as physical strength, so we understand your frustration when the robust following and constant judgement do not define who you are. 

A lot of times it is evident that people forget about the student part of the student-athlete grind. Your commitment to the classroom and the field many times goes unrecognized, and for that we see you. We understand that after a bad practice it can be hard for you to go back and grind out three hours of homework. We understand that it's hard to win championships when nobody is asking about your mental health, your stress levels, your constant anxiety, your depression. We understand that it is mentally exhausting to balance a schedule and feel that you have no time for anything other than your two jobs. We understand that coaches may neglect your mental health and it may get hard to push through. We understand that practices and games can be physically, as well as mentally draining. We understand that the politics of sport and external pressure can be challenging to cope with. We are not the media; we see that while you can do amazing things on your field or court that you also struggle. 

To the athletes reading this, you do not have to be tough all of the time. It is okay to break the unrealistic stereotype that you never feel, that you never have moments of weakness (which actually makes you stronger). We encourage you to put your mental health first, even if nobody else is. You are your biggest advocate. Take the time to rest, to slow down, to feel, to let go. You are not weak, in fact you are strong. While your performance may be more prioritized, your mental health is just as important. 

Even though this letter was out of style for our normal fact based pieces, emotions are just as valid as facts. Recognizing that your grind is difficult, that your two unpaid full time jobs can get hard, that your outside life can influence your mental headspace in the game, that you are more than just your physical capabilities, is valid. And with that, we see you and salute you for your continuous efforts. Keep pushing and having conversations to normalize student athlete mental health. 

With love, 

Female Athlete Movement