Mental health in sports

[Lord Camomile]

Figured it might be worth having a thread. Obviously it's nothing new, but what does seem to be new is high profile athletes talking openly about their mental health, and particularly actively deciding to withdraw during a competition.

Reading some of the social media comments regarding Simone Biles' decision to withdraw from both the team and individual all-round events at the Tokyo Olympics, it struck me that a lot (most? all?) of the recent high profile cases of athletes withdrawing were young women of colour (Osaka, Raducanu, Biles).

Obviously that could be just because that's what the media and public are focusing on for the usual shitty reasons, but I couldn't bring to mind any similar instances (which isn't saying much, given my sometimes defective powers of recall).

 

[planetgeli]

There have been plenty of cases of white English people, men and women, doing the same. Trescothick, Sarah Taylor, Trott, that Sussex bloke I really should remember the name of but can't right now (edit - Mike Yardy, who was further abused by Boycott) , Andrew Flintoff.

Mostly due to pressure of too much cricket/travelling etc.

 

[planetgeli]

On the cricket documentary "The Edge" Trott gives a very candid interview and insight into his problems. He went from being invincible in his first number of tests to breaking down in tears while batting in a Test in Australia. It's a difficult watch.

 

[Lord Camomile]

There have been plenty of cases of white English people, men and women, doing the same. Trescothick, Sarah Taylor, Trott, that Sussex bloke I really should remember the name of but can't right now (edit - Mike Yardy, who was further abused by Boycott) , Andrew Flintoff.

Mostly due to pressure of too much cricket/travelling etc.

Aye, fair enough; as I say, just couldn't recall any in the moment.

The only one I think I remember any details of is Trescothick; was that in between Ashes matches? Or wait, am I thinking of Trott??

Raises the obvious question, with sadly equally obvious answers, why the likes of Osaka, Raducanu and Biles are getting the reaction they did and the others, to my knowledge, didn't. Appreciate that "to my knowledge" may be doing some heavy lifting there, plus tennis and the Olympics arguably have a higher worldwide/mainstream profile than cricket which may play into it.

Aaaaaaaanyway, mental health is obviously about far more than race, gender, etc (although they obviously are still far too active ingredients); as I say, it just struck me the similarities of those three cases that have come in quick succession over the past couple of months.

 

[weltweit]

It doesn't surprise me the likes of Biles stepping down, she has the weight of massive expectation and this is perhaps the biggest stage on the planet for a gymnast. Added to that there is the potential for great injury if she isn't 100% on the ball mentally and she is relatively young still.

I doubt anyone here has been under such pressure of expectations at the biggest event on the planet, with unrelenting media attention?

If she doesn't feel right she should sit it out is my opinion.

 

[Cid]

Tom Dumoulin, who took silver at the ITT today, was off earlier this year.

 

[Lord Camomile]

On the cricket documentary "The Edge" Trott gives a very candid interview and insight into his problems. He went from being invincible in his first number of tests to breaking down in tears while batting in a Test in Australia. It's a difficult watch.

For anyone curious, it's on iPlayer for the next four days, hour and a half to watch.

 

[Cid]

I think Biles’ situation is hugely complex… there are so many different potential pressures operating there.

 

[Lord Camomile]

I think Biles’ situation is hugely complex… there are so many different potential pressures operating there.

Oh aye, obviously each case is inherently individual, and yes, Biles' situation is maybe more complex than most.

 

[SpookyFrank]

Aye, fair enough; as I say, just couldn't recall any in the moment.

The only one I think I remember any details of is Trescothick; was that in between Ashes matches? Or wait, am I thinking of Trott??

Raises the obvious question, with sadly equally obvious answers, why the likes of Osaka, Raducanu and Biles are getting the reaction they did and the others, to my knowledge, didn't. Appreciate that "to my knowledge" may be doing some heavy lifting there, plus tennis and the Olympics arguably have a higher worldwide/mainstream profile than cricket which may play into it.

Aaaaaaaanyway, mental health is obviously about far more than race, gender, etc (although they obviously are still far too active ingredients); as I say, it just struck me the similarities of those three cases that have come in quick succession over the past couple of months.

I don't recall there being a great response to Trott's problems. Consensus seemed to be he should just play on regardless, but also that his playing had been shit for a while. I think it was around the same time that Graeme Swann developed a physical injury that prevented him from bowling and forced him to retire, and with him too there were a lot of people (possibly including me if I were to look back at my posts here) saying he should just get on with it, do something he was physically incapable of doing, so that a sport team could have a better chance of winning some games.

I think it was against the Australians that Trott first really struggled. Coincidentally the Australian cricket team has a history of tormenting and abusing batsmen on the field.

 

[killer b]

I accidentally looked at Gary Lineker's tweet about this, and all those lonely guys posting 'can't take the heat get out of the kitchen' type comments about the greatest gymnast of all time is kind of hilarious but also really bleak.

 

[SpookyFrank]

I accidentally looked at Gary Lineker's tweet about this, and all those lonely guys posting 'can't take the heat get out of the kitchen' type comments about the greatest gymnast of all time is kind of hilarious but also really bleak.

It's possible that everyone calling her the greatest gymnast of all time doesn't help either. That's a lot to carry.

 

[killer b]

I don't think she reads urban

 

[Lord Camomile]

It's possible that everyone calling her the greatest gymnast of all time doesn't help either. That's a lot to carry.

This is something I've wondered, too. Different scales, obviously, but I've had friends who sometimes struggle because of (deserved) praise they've received, and particularly if it's sustained start to feel a real pressure to constantly live up to that expectation.

I've heard some say "that pressure is a privilege, as it means I'm good/people think I'm good" or whatever, which is certainly one way of dealing with it and probably does work for some people/situations, but certainly you look at Biles and others and it seems like a very double-edged sword.

Of course, on the flip side, don't think anyone would champion never praising someone, so it's about finding that balance, which is obviously far easier person-to-person than on a mass-public/societal level.

 

[twistedAM]

Tom Dumoulin, who took silver at the ITT today, was off earlier this year.

An arguably even bigger name - Marcel Kittel - just quit altogether while at the top a couple of years ago.
I saw a documentary on him recently and he seems so happy to be away from it all.

 

[Lord Camomile]

Ben Stokes: England all-rounder to miss India Test series and take 'indefinite break' from all cricket

Ben Stokes "will take an indefinite break from all cricket with immediate effect" and has withdrawn from England's Test squad for the series against India.

www.bbc.co.uk

Ben Stokes "will take an indefinite break from all cricket with immediate effect" and has withdrawn from England's squad for the five-Test series against India.

The all-rounder will prioritise his mental wellbeing and rest his left index finger which has not fully healed, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said in a statement.

Will be interesting to see what Morgan says about this, particularly as I believe he is a fan of cricket. He may well try and duck it by saying "he made the decision and informed people ahead of time, he didn't quit in the middle of a final and let down his teammates"*.

Twat aside, though, it's obviously good that Stokes feels able to make this decision, and the ECB is supporting him in it.


*Morgan's (theoretical) words, not mine.

 

[Elpenor]

Believe Stokes’s father passed away recently. Grief can get you at odd times, it’s not a linear process.

 

[FridgeMagnet]

I am all for people being able to take long periods off work to prioritise their mental health, and if sportsfolk are going to raise that as a general public issue then good.

eta: what I wouldn't want to see is it being portrayed as exclusive to high end sports people, like there was something particularly significant about their stress that lesser mortals couldn't suffer so go back to work plebs.