Global Sport Matters May issue explores mental health through athlete and coach lens

Athletes continue to tell us they are not OK with their actions and words. In response, the sports industry has acknowledged it can and should be doing more to support the people who are its lifeblood, from athletes to coaches and beyond. By making mental health a priority, sport has an opportunity to confer a host of benefits supporting mental wellness and to be more safe, inclusive, and inspiring.

What the NCAA and College Athletic Departments Need to Know About Athlete Mental Health - Mikaela Brewer

Mental health advocate and former Stanford women's basketball player Mikaela Brewer writes about how mental health in sport can be easily misunderstood and how this can be fatal for college athletes amid a wave of deaths by suicide at universities. Brewer also examines ways the NCAA and athletic departments can support athlete mental health through the redefinition of mental toughness and the routine care of mental health.

Supporting ‘Middle-Status Athletes’ Starts with Understanding, Development and Clarity - Scott Brooks, PhD

Global Sport Institute Director of Research Scott Brooks defines "middle-status athletes" and the issues they face with opportunities of playing time. Through the perspective of being both an athlete and a coach as well as an academic, Brooks shares ways for coaches to better communicate with players and ways to help players feel included.

What's Missing in How We Talk About Athlete Mental Health? - Brendon Kleen

Global Sport Institute senior digital content coordinator Brendon Kleen examines how the sports industry talks about mental health and the gaps in how athlete mental health is discussed and treated. With the insight and research of Global Sport Scholar Alisia Tran, the article provides a closer look at mental health treatment among the major sports leagues and how focused treatment plans are more beneficial.

View all the stories from the Global Sport Matters May digital issue here.