When the Browns beat reporter @marykaycabot shared this image of the teams TE, David Njoku, meditating shirtless before this weekends frigid game (4 degrees, -17 with the windchill), I was so excited ESPN picked it up and made it national news. Njoku’s a beast of a human. 6″4, 245 pounds – solid muscle. Not the “typical” meditator we’ve come to see when the topic is discussed on morning shows, where the sets have bamboo branches and ambient lighting.
Normalization takes jarring images: seeing things we WANT mainstreamed, in a different light than we’ve seen before – to show they apply to EVERYONE. Sports has recently provided a number of the most important images and news stories for the normalization of the mental health convo. How?
Athletes aren’t supposed to:
– Retire in their prime, open up about the challenges they’ve faced off the field, cry on camera or before big events, talk about therapy that was life saving, leave the Olympics or a major tournament because their mental health was in severe decline, talk about how a teammate helped them amidst suicidal thoughts etc.
But, in:
October 22: @zionwilliamson told the media they shouldn’t be ripping on his weight, publicly.
August 22: @johnwall talked about the relationship with his late mother and how watching her wither away destroyed him.
July 22: Paddy Pimblett cried after a fight because of the loss of his friend to suicide
April 22: Masters Champion @scottie.scheffler cried to his wife because of anxious expectations the morning he won his title
Mark 22: DK Metcalf at 6″4, 235, shared he goes to therapy religiously
November 21: AJ Brown said Elijah Moore helped him tame his suicidal thoughts
July 21: Simone Biles pulled out of the Olympics because of her mental health
May 21: Naomi Osaka pulled out of the French Open from the angst the media appearance caused her
August 19: Andrew Luck retired in his prime, amidst burnout
August 19: Liz Cambage wrote an open letter asking that players have a distinction for “DNP – MH”
There’s a normalization movement happening but we gotta piece it together! Applaud the THREAD. Share the THREAD. We gotta scream it from the rooftops.
