Starting last month, seniors had the chance to sign their National Letter of Intent to play varsity collegiate sports. This decision is often made a year earlier with a verbal commitment, but is not final until the athlete has signed. Recruiting can often be confusing and foreign, with dead periods, poor communication from coaches, and vastly experiences. Both recruiting and playing sports in college can be major stressors in students’ lives, especially when the stigma around mental health in sports is still very prevalent.
Recruiting can cause stress for a multitude of reasons, and the unique experience of each athlete can further add to uncertainty. At any period in the process, it can feel impossible to predict your future or understand what it might look like. Coaches and expectations are hard to read, and athletes often create their own standards as a result. According to the NCAA, only around seven percent of high school athletes go on to play in college, and evaluation can feel almost constant. This competitive atmosphere can ruin the sport for many, causing fights and distrust in previously positive team environments. The combined strain of athletic and academic excellence can be even harder to navigate, along with other factors like home life and external pressures. On top of that, high school students already are experiencing additional stress from college applications. As athletes approach adulthood, these major career or college decisions don’t get much easier, and commitments or declarations can feel life-changing.
When athletes finally reach college, recruiting is quickly replaced by other stressors. All NCAA athletes must maintain a certain GPA, and many teams or scholarships require further academic success. With daily practices, it can be difficult for athletes to find time for studying in their schedule, resulting in sleep loss and mood decline. Aside from academic stressors, sports can often take up most of an athlete’s time and cause the most stress. From practice, to lifting and rehab, to full games, athletes must commit a large portion of their lives to their sport. Unchecked anxiety can also increase injury rate, with stressors often leading to physical reactions such as muscle tension or fatigue, creating even more time dedicated to rehab. Although the NCAA has restrictions on time allotted for sports per week, in reality athletes often surpass this time commitment, sometimes dedicating more than thirty hours to athletics in one week. Athletes must be proficient at time management to complete both their academic and athletic tasks, as well as leaving time for social and extracurricular activities. On top of this, student-athletes are not exempt from the trend of rising rates of anxiety and depression, but are even less likely than non-athletes to seek help at a counseling office.
With so many stressors and external factors, the need for mental health awareness is particularly urgent for college athletes. Many foundations, such as NAIA or Athletes Connected, work to erase the stigma around mental health and assist those experiencing issues. As mental health continues to be a concern in our society, institutions like these are truly important for athletes experiencing these issues.