The world of football and mental health
More and more, people today are focusing on the importance of mental as well as physical health. We’ve all had personal experience with how much our mental state can impact not only our overall health, but our relationships and how we fare in life.
Certain professions can make focusing on mental health particularly challenging. Not necessarily due to the stresses of the job, but sadly, also because of the many stigmas that still surround mental health issues – particularly for men. And while men’s mental health issues have become more prevalent in the media, Sports news today are still all about reporting on team victories and losses, championship updates or shocking scandals – but very rarely on the mental health issues, and prejudices, that all too often plague this popular sport.
Football is a lifestyle that for many people practically defines quintessential masculinity – not just for the players, but for its avid supporters. Football players are required to be in peak physical condition, they earn a lot of money, enjoy fame, respect and plenty of pleasurable company.
For many men, these are the ultimate life goals they all aspire to and wish they could achieve. Not to mention that, on average, the image of a football fan is a boisterous man screaming at the top of his lungs, with a pint in his hand, getting so riled up over the outcomes of matches that testosterone and adrenaline seem to take over their entire body.
While there’s plenty of fun to be had with loving football and certainly endless benefits to being a football player, unfortunately all too often football can be associated with toxic masculinity. It seems that crying over losing a penalty is the only acceptable form of emotional expression. But we’ve only to flip through football’s history books to see how dangerous the pressures of being a “man’s man” can truly be.
Players like Stan Collymore and Clarke Carlisle have been huge advocates for mental health, since they have struggled with depression for years, with Carlisle even attempting suicide in 2014. They have since openly spoken about their mental health issues and how the environment of being a football star can be such a heavy burden. Between the unhealthy existence of being under so much pressure and constantly living in the spotlight, any personal problems they would experience in life would be exacerbated by a footballer lifestyle.
For many players, one of the most difficult aspects of this illness is having to suffer in silence, given the many negative reactions that can be hurled their way if they were to voice their vulnerability – both on and off the court. With many people, including football managers, being guilty of either trivialising or mocking any signs of what they perceive to be weakness. John Gregory is just one example, making the offhand remark with regards to Collymore’s depression that for someone making so much money, what does he have to be depressed about.
And consider the tragic story of Justin Fashanu. Not only did he have to overcome a huge wall of racism and did so with amazing success, becoming the first £1million black player, but he was also the very first football player to open come out as gay. The response for his coming out was truly shocking – fans and colleagues unleashed a tirade against the player and there can be no doubt that then manager Brian Clough ended Justin’s career for being gay. Only a small handful of players, none that are high profile, have come out in the decades that followed. As far as cautionary tales go, Fashanu’s story – which ended in his suicide in 1998 – does not encourage players today to be open about their sexuality.
Although of course this isn’t football specific – many organised sports, including American Football, Basketball, Hockey and Tennis all face the same prejudices, even to this day. Legends like Ryan Giggs and Rio Ferdinand have been amazing ambassadors for mental health, sharing their stories honestly and helping both players and fans see that you can be strong and successful, without needing to suppress your struggles and need for emotional support.
As football continues to be such a huge part of British culture, hopefully more steps will be taken to make football a safer space for both players and supporters to be true to themselves without fear of discrimination. But just as we’re warned to drink responsibly and gamble responsibly, let’s enjoy football responsibly as well – and use its popularity as an instrument for positive change for all men and women struggling with often unseen illnesses.
