- Two young athletes announced their retirement from sports, citing anxiety and depression.
- A sports psychologist said the trend suggests mental health isn't the stigma within sports it used to be.
Two young athletes with promising careers left their sports, both stating that playing at a high-level contributed to anxiety and depression — and a sports psychologist said the trend might become more common among players.
Tyrell Terry, who played two years in the NBA, recently announced on Instagram he will quit professional basketball after experiencing the "darkest times" of his life while playing.
"Intrusive thoughts, waking up nauseous, and finding myself struggling to take normal breaths because of the rock that would sit on my chest that seemed to weigh more than I could carry," Terry, 22, wrote. "This is just a brief description of the anxiety this sport has caused me."
Ohio State football player Harry Miller penned a similar note in March of this year, explaining he quit football after experiencing suicidal thoughts and engaging in self harm.
Though the trend appears worrisome, young players prioritizing their mental health over athletic achievements is a positive sign for sports, according to Mark Aoyagi, a sports psychologist and professor at the University of Denver who has worked with professional, collegiate, and Olympic athletes.
Terry and Miller's early retirement suggests to Aoyagi that young players are recognizing that they can create an identity and achieve success outside of sports.
"This is coming from a sports psychologist, but I think there are a lot more important things than sport," Aoyagi said. "It's great entertainment, but it's not perfect and there are lots of other ways players can achieve the things they want to achieve."
Social media can create pressure for young athletes — but it also gives players a platform to share their stories
Social media chatter can create pressure on athletes, contributing to their mental health challenges. Aoyagi said the brain does not stop developing until around 27, and many young people may not have developed the mental resilience to deal with the pressure and negativity created by social media.
But, on the other hand, more young athletes are using social media to give them a platform to share their stories. Both Terry and Miller used their personal accounts to share their experiences.
"That ability to control the narrative, to say it in the way that they wanted to say it in, the medium that they wanted to say it with, I think has also been a big contributor" to more athletes speaking out about mental health, Aoyagi said.
Mental health isn't the stigma among coaches and athletes it used to be
Though sports is still a generally hyper-masculine environment that can invalidate non-physical pain, younger generations have a greater acceptance of emotional intelligence, per Aoyagi.
Older players were never taught about how to express their emotions or recognize mental pain, Aoyagi said. In the past, coaches didn't work with a player who was considered a "choker," or someone who performs worse under pressure. Coaches didn't recognize that mental resilience can strengthen over time, similar to how physical skills can improve with practice.
Aoyagi added the "social condemnation" that comes from quitting was perhaps stronger in the past, when players may not have been aware of the physical and financial toll sports can take on athletes.
Now, Aoyagi said there are more resources and a language to discuss these kinds of topics within sports. Many people applauded young players like Naomi Osaka and Simone Biles for prioritizing their mental health over competitions, and the NCAA established a best practices guide in 2017 to help colleges address the issue among their players.
"I just think that a lot of those pressures are not that they're not still there, but I think that it's at least a possibility to consider other options," he said.