Mental health. Two words that have been brushed aside in the athletic community. Two words with which almost every athlete struggles. Two words that need to be acknowledged in a community that’s supposed to be tough.

The athlete who’s winning is supposed to be tough, the athlete who’s losing is supposed to be tough. But the athlete who is winning is having anxiety about keeping it up, and the athlete who is losing is crumbling under the pressure. Two athletes, two situations, two words ruining their lives.

The American Academy of Pediatrics reports that 70% of children drop out of sports by the age of 13. Some reasons they quit are pressure and constant competitiveness becoming too much, getting to their head. These are kids who just wanted to have fun, and could’ve had the chance to keep having it if they talked to someone.

In sixth grade, I read a book called “What Made Maddy Run,” by Kate Fagan. It was about the “perfect life” of Maddy Holleran, star runner at UPenn. I never would’ve thought that she committed suicide — but she did. Why? Two words: mental health. Sports killed her mental health, and eventually killed her.

No one wants that to happen to anyone, so we need to bring awareness to mental health in sports. You don’t have to be powerful. We must talk to our athletes about it, give them a hug. It’s time we talked about athletes’ mental health. It’s time we do the right thing.

Alexis Ting
Yarmouth