My message to all college athletes facing the hidden opponent
Katie Meyer, Robert Martin, Sara Schulz, and Lauren Bernett. Those four names belong to college athletes that took their own life between April and March. They hail from four universities and four states. They have four community’s, four friend groups and most importantly four families that are now left to grieve in their absence. Those names are just a few among the many college athletes that have taken their lives in the course of only a few years.
You may remember some their names after hearing about them through social media but their stories and the event that lead up to their life ending decisions are not talked about nearly enough. While I am not a college athlete, I played sports my whole life and have felt similar pressures to the ones that they are put under as athletes. However, I can not even begin to imaging having to take those pressures of having to perform to the best of their abilities while having having a rigorous course load and the pressure of just everyday life placed on top of it all. That weight for anyone can almost seem unbearable at times.
This weight is one that can only be felt by someone in their position and as the skills needed to be an athlete increase and difficulty of making a name for yourself do as well we will only see more pressure be piled on these athletes. While some may say that is just what comes with being a college athlete, what isn’t something that should come with that is the disregard of the simple fact that they are a human first and athlete second. Humans make mistakes and are not perfect so why do we expect athletes to be the exception to that. Why do we rip athletes to shreds when they have an off day or when they fail to win a game. What happened to compassion and caring for all. I believe that we as a society have lost sight of that.
Parents, coaches, and fans have been placing unrealistic expectation on these athletes and using excuses like in order to grow you have to get tougher. You have to take the criticism and scrutiny and use it to get better. But what happens when you are already having a bad day after getting a bad grade on a test or getting in a fight with your friends. Then having to go to play a game or a practice and essentially ignoring all those feelings that have built up throughout the day and then play in a competitive and high pressure situation. What happens then, how does any one expect even adult to be able to handle that.
There are so many other factors and issues that can add to the pressure that college athletes face and society just ignores it because at the end of the day most just see them as a vessels in a game that they like to watch. Until we recognize that they are humans first and athletes second and allow grace and compassion back into sports more and more names will be added to the list of lives lost to such an act as suicide.
I know that this is hard to hear and it is something that I wish I didn’t even have to bring up but it is happening and at a very, very fast rate. Recognition and awareness are vitally important steps in the process of recovery. That is why I want to take this time to highlight a nonprofit that seeks to spread awareness, education, and support for college athletes.
That organization is The Hidden Opponent. Created in October of 2019 by a former University of Southern California Volleyball player, Victoria Garrick, The Hidden Opponent seeks to advocate, educate, and support all college athletes. They recognize that they are human and that they should be treated as such. The job in which they take on is one that is not for the faint of heart. They dig deep and find those stories of athletes that saw no light at the end of the tunnel. They speak up and highlight the pressure and areas in which we as a society place on athletes. They advocate and fight back at society and demand change in order to ensure no one feels like they cant go on anymore. While I can talk all day long about the work that they do in order for you to get the full picture I encourage you to visit their website and support their mission.
This issue is not going away and while you may be able to leave a game and go on with your life college athletes cant. They have to deal with this time and time again and cant run away from it like the rest of society. So dont leave, stay and join the discussion. Become and ally to you favorite college athlete and let them know that you are there for them as a friend and not a fan. And to those of you that might be college athletes out there. You are enough. The efforts that you are putting in have not gone unnoticed and if no one told you this today I see you, I hear you , and I support you.