It’s all upstairs: the mental battleground
Sure, Reggie Jackson was right when he told us that fans don’t boo nobodies. Of course they don’t. But in an age where social media is king, that doesn’t make the boos any softer.
With sporting lights only getting brighter, the intensity of competition continually increasing, and commercial expenditure bringing a wealth of opportunities for athletes and coaches, modern athletics has blossomed into a competitive, yet commercially fruitful, opportunity for athletes and coaches alike to chase stardom and financial freedom. However, amidst the highs of Super Bowl rings, the glitz of World Cup glory, or the praise of Olympic gold, lies a well-known, but equally well-overlooked concession. T he brightness of the lights, the intensity of the competition, and the commercial expenditure all come at a cost, as it seemingly always has.
Athletics, by its very nature, is a physical undertaking. It is why athletes, coaches, and proponents alike fixate on the physical aspects: the fitness, the strength, the capacity to withstand injury. These are all critical questions to ask of an athlete - and fifty years ago, perhaps the only questions. But nowadays, athletics involves far more than just physical exertion. Tyson Fury, Naomi Osaka, and Michael Phelps are but a few examples of world-class athletes becoming vocal about their mental health struggles, and their impact not only on athletic performance but on lives generally. On the television and in the grandstands, we see immortality. We do not see nerves. We do not see the countless hours of painstaking work put in. We do not see the pressure associated with performance. All we see is an athlete or coach, either performing - or not. But what these few, among many others, have shed light on in recent years is the fragility of athletes and coaches. The constant search for winning and the associated euphoric highs and depressing lows of modern athletics undoubtedly take their toll not only on the athlete but also on the person unless properly mitigated. In an age where the hand of professionalism continues to reach further down the chain, it has become, in our view, of particular importance to equip athletes with the skills and capacity to acknowledge the realities of modern sport through a holistic approach to their athletics.
Holistic well-being
At the forefront of high-performance sport across Australia, the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) regularly releases guidance on several key topics and provides its general thoughts based on market developments. With an eye firmly toward 2025 and beyond, the AIS’ recent market trends publication considered the concept of ‘holistic athlete well-being’ and noted the importance of a considered approach toward it moving toward 2025. While we reiterate the AIS’ findings and equally encourage athletes and coaches to focus on ‘healthier lifestyles through holistic attitudes toward optimal physical and mental health’, we acknowledge that nothing is that simple in the professional sporting market.
But to first consider holistic athletics is to understand and appreciate what the term ‘success’ actually represents. As we understand that term in an athletic sense - what do we naturally associate with ‘success’? It would be remiss to suggest anything other than Super Bowl rings, World Cups, or Olympic gold in the first instance, for they are all legitimate and notable representations of ‘success’. Athletes and coaches undoubtedly view ‘success’ the same way - with accolades such as these.
Notwithstanding the legitimacy of these representations, it should be noted that ‘success’ in its purest form is not derived from external gratification. Success, by definition, is to have accomplished one’s aim or purpose. Not another person’s aim or purpose; but your own. Now, for some, their individual purpose or aim is in fact to win the Olympic gold medal - in which case, play on. But against a commonly held belief, ‘success’ is not (and never should be) judged or measured against external criteria. Nor should it be judged on who an athlete or coach compares themselves to (whether it be their peers or other members of society). It is, of course, hard to believe this is not the case given the roots of our culture are founded on the presumption that ‘success’ is only measured by performance when compared to fellow man. Just as Gladiators dueled to death in Ancient Rome, and athletes have long sought gold beneath the Olympic flag, the essence of the problem still remains, albeit in a new way.
While external accolades and recognitions may offer temporary gratification for athletes and coaches, a holistic approach to athletics notes that success is an internal and ongoing evaluation born from passion, personal conviction, and devotion to cause. When we look at intrinsic motivation built from (and grounded in) a deep affinity and desire for self-improvement, we begin to understand how athletes and coaches are better able to manage the highs, lows, and monotonous routine of professional sport. Unlike the highly subjective and transient reality of external validation, intrinsic understanding serves as almost an internal compass. This is not to say that intrinsic motivation is the secret key to success - because success is far from given, and the pressures from external comparison cut deep. Athletes and coaches alike understand this reality. As too does the layman - comparing ourselves to our peers often leaves us envious, self-conscious, distracted, or a mixture of them all.
While we encourage athletes and coaches to assume a holistic attitude towards their athletics, money talks; and in professional sports, it has a lot to say. With commercial investors and management alike continually injecting capital into player contracts and infrastructure upgrades, the expectations on players to provide entertaining and revenue-generating returns have never been greater. It is why organisations and leagues alike have been both reluctant to encourage (and silent on the promotion) of holistic well-being of its players. Further data from the AIS in 2023 suggested that while holistic athletic well-being was theoretically a sound and indeed important concept to promote, its application and practical sense was hindered because (mainly):
holistic well-being of athletes is not considered a priority by coaches and administrators;
of a lack of well-being resources affording athletes the opportunity to focus holistically; and
of an assumption that doing so would ultimately detract from an athlete’s ‘competitive edge’.
The mental battleground
When Reggie Jackson shared his profound words, he was playing baseball in the 1970s - a time where sports commentary extended to radio and private conversations among friends and families in global living rooms. The ‘boos’ Jackson referred to were very much literal ones heard across American ballparks when the hall-of-famer came to the plate. In the modern age, while the underlying principle remains very much the same, the social and technological contexts surrounding modern athletes are worlds apart from when Jackson was batting. The boos heard by modern athletes are heard through social media posts targeted at the athlete (and quite often their families). The boos are heard on television - by commentators pulling apart performance often years after the fact. Oh, and the boos are also heard in stadiums too. Logically, one would think that in the age of professionalism and having regard to the sheer athletic talent required to play professional sport, the boos would have subsided. But it simply isn’t the case. The boos have only gotten louder and are continually creeping their way both closer and closer into an athlete's personal life, and in to younger classes of athletes. Is it therefore any wonder why strong pools of high-performance athletes (according to the AIS) are continuing to seek professional assistance for mental health reasons and approximately a quarter of athletes experiencing anxiety or depression?
It is not just Australian athletes (and coaches) either. In places like Japan - where conversations regarding mental health concerns among athletes are still societally taboo, athletes struggle to achieve holistic wellness purely as a result of their inability to control their mental health. Until 2019, the Japanese Rugby Football Union had not taken any form of data or collective sample in relation to its players' mental well-being. In its first reports since electing to study the effects of mental health in Japanese rugby players, the study concluded that a staggering 42% of Japanese-based rugby union players had some form of anxiety or depression; and that 7.6% of athletes classified themselves as suicidal. A truly saddening statistic given the strides the western world has taken in recent years to spread awareness of mental well-being. But similarly, in light of the growing intensity of the ‘boos’ and expectation to withstand the physical pressures not otherwise seen before by modern man, is it really any surprise? Oh, and do it all with a smile on their face.
Accordingly, and with some of the realities of high-performance athletics laid bare, we encourage athlete - both established and aspiring, to focus on a holistic approach toward there athletics. Through the promotion of success re-definition, professional and personal counselling, and a variety of other whole-of-person focus areas, it is our aim to help the modern athlete maximise exposure, without the noise of the ‘boos’. Because after all, whilst a holistic approach to athletics acknowledges and accepts that the brightness can blind you, the noise can deafen you, and the competition can rattle you - it also reiterates that the only voice that matters, is upstairs.