Being a student-athlete at Louisiana State University is an achievement that so many people grow up having the dream of accomplishing. The life of these student-athletes is often romanticized, and coveted by many, including other students.
Playing under the glittering lights of Tiger Stadium, the thrill of competing at a prestigious sports university, and the ability to wear and represent the letters “LSU” across your chest, create a reputation of their lives being full of success, joy, and fame. However, beneath this image of a glamorous lifestyle, issues lie unaddressed. Academics, competition, training, and pressure can all lead to different mental health issues for these athletes.
Dr. LaKeitha Poole, Assistant Athletic Director for Sport Psychology and Counseling, spoke about the issues these athletes face and the solutions being taken to solve them.
One of the most significant issues that student-athletes face that contributes to mental health complications is the immense pressure that they are under. Not only are they expected to perform well in their sports, but they are also expected to excel in the classroom and set a good example for other students. They are held to a much higher standard than everyone else in a multitude of ways.
At a university like LSU, stakes are especially high because of the legacy that LSU Athletics has, and the expectation to live up to it. In 2022, the NCAA surveyed 23,000 student athletes and reported that 44% of female athletes and 17% of male athletes answered that they feel “constantly overwhelmed.”
While these numbers have actually decreased since the Covid-19 pandemic, they are still very high and show the effects of the pressure that student-athletes encounter. Dr. Poole explained that she “thinks the pressure is centered around juggling a bunch of different identities, such as athlete, human, daughter/son or student. Our job is to help them think about how they can bring all parts of themselves to those roles as the best person they can be.”
Athletes having to keep up high performance in all aspects of their lives leaves them with issues, that when unaddressed, can be detrimental for their mental health.
Despite the fact that more awareness is being brought to mental health in our nation, there still stands a certain stigma around it, especially in the sports world. Faulty associations are often made about mental health, correlating it with weakness. Athletes are hesitant to ask for help in this case because the last thing a D1 athlete wants to seem is weak. In such a high performance and competitive environment like LSU Athletics, being vulnerable can make the athletes fear that they are a liability.
LSU Athletics is built upon a culture of grit, toughness, and resilience. Hence, athletes are often hesitant to open up about their mental health issues and concerns. They might even fear judgment from their coaches and fellow teammates.
When asked if she thinks athletes are afraid to ask for help, Dr. Poole said, “The stigma about mental health has decreased over the years, but it is definitely still there. I think a lot of the reason athletes are hesitant to speak up is because they don’t know how to talk about these feelings they are having.”
This leads many student-athletes to keep their issues to themselves, magnifying the problem and often turning into anxiety, depression, or burnout.
In order to combat the mental health complications that many athletes face, universities have implemented support systems and resources for them. LSU, in particular, has taken many steps towards providing access to programs and counselors geared to the mental well-being of its student-athletes.
Dr. Poole, head of this initiative, speaks of these different programs. She explained that besides the basic one-on-one counseling, one of the most important things the student-athletes do is “team or individual performance work with their counselors, whether it be at practice or another time.” As well as all of the human resources LSU provides to its athletes, it also has a new app to which all athletes have access.
“About a year ago, we partnered with a company called Mindyra that is an app with free resources that all of our student-athletes have access to,” said Dr. Poole. Mindyra Mindhealth Navigator uses personalized, data-driven tools to help individuals get the mental clarity they are searching for. LSU’s partnership with a company like this truly demonstrates its commitment to helping the athletes with their mental health.
Creating a better environment for the student-athletes and their mental health is a primary goal and concern of LSU Athletics right now. It is understood that many of these young adults face pressure beyond imaginable for their age, and resources must be available for them. By implementing new procedures, support, resources, and a whole new mindset among the community, LSU will be able to ensure the success of its student-athletes on and off the field.