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College Athletics: Is It Too Much? A Deep Dive into Student-Athlete Mental Health

by Sara Sheeser

Lauren Bernett committed suicide on April 20, 2022. She was a freshman star softball player at James Madison University who led her team to the Women’s College World Series for the first time in its history. Bernett seemed to have it all, but was struggling more than anyone would ever know.   

As a former high school athlete, learning that Bernett was one of five reported NCAA student-athletes to commit suicide between March and April 2022 startled me. The structure of college athletics puts an immense amount of pressure on student-athletes, causing them mental anguish. Many athletes, like Bernett, are struggling and not receiving the recognition and help they need.  

College athletics are increasing in popularity in the United States, with interest increasing by 53% in 2023. Many students even decide where to go to college based on the achievements of the school’s sports teams. Because of this, a lot of pressure is placed on the student-athletes. Like me, students of the school who are fans of Pitt's soccer and volleyball teams rely on college athletes, along with their families and coaches, for the school’s athletic success. All of this pressure and dependence can potentially harm the athletes’ mental health.  

Throughout the years, student-athlete mental health issues have come more to light, but not much has been done to fix the problem. One of the main questions that remains unsolved is who, or what, is truly causing the mental distress these athletes are going through, and is there any way to decrease the amount of damage that comes with it?   

One of the main stressors is the balancing act all students undertake, juggling academics, a social life, and a job. Student-athletes are responsible for all these tasks, in addition to playing and training for their sport all year. The 2021 book by Ross White, The Flexible Mind, reveals that athletes often have to give up their time, energy, relationships, education, and families to make time for their sport. These sacrifices have a significant impact on their mental health, often resulting in anxiety and depression. To better understand these impacts, I sat down with Kiera Molloy, the Lead Mental Health Counselor for the University of Pittsburgh’s athletic department. Molloy explained to me that not only do personal sacrifices by athletes potentially result in mental distress, but the ever-changing scene of college athletics does as well. The transfer portal, fluctuating family finances, and new college coaches are just some of the reasons that college athletics have a large impact on the mental health of student athletes. All of these issues—personal and uncontrollable— put athletics before the actual person. Because of this, student-athletes suffer from mental illnesses, including anxiety, depression, panic disorders, and eating disorders, usually going unnoticed by fans and the public.   

To help find a solution for these athletes, Molloy explored why college athletes feel the way they do. As a former captain of the Division One swim team at Duke, Molloy has first-hand experience dealing with the stress of balancing college academics and athletics. She sees the student-athletes at Pitt every day, whether it be one-on-one meetings, group sessions, or full teams. During these sessions, Molloy uses her experience to “discuss mental health concerns,  improve mental well-being, and improve the mental resilience of athletes.” Some of the most important pieces of advice she gives her athletes are to learn how to navigate change and to know their own academic and personal values while participating in college athletics. With everything that goes into participating in a college sport, it is vital that athletes understand this advice in order to recognize and control their emotions.  

Molloy believes one of the main issues is the constant changes in collegiate athletics. Sports have become a significant component of university funding. Division I athletes must consider many factors, including location, student population, coaches, contracts, and the success of athletics. According to Molloy, a cause of their mental distress is a “feeling of not being settled.” She explained that the “landscape changes by the day,” and there is always the question about transferring.  

The transfer portal has changed significantly recently, becoming an easily accessible option for student-athletes. In the past, the transfer portal was stricter about rules of playing time and academic standing, but the NCAA changed the rules to be more flexible for athletes. Now, the NCAA states that athletes in good academic standing can play immediately after they transfer. Because of these more lenient rules, athletes are compelled to enter the portal whenever they feel uncomfortable with their team or not achieving the playing time they strive for. Instead of focusing on and fixing the problem at hand, student-athletes can look for an escape by transferring, which can have an even worse effect on their mental health. Although transferring can be a good option for some athletes, it can enhance the unsettled feeling. Molloy adds that the new rules of the transfer process “take the sanctity out of deciding on a school that best fits.”   

Molloy explains that mental health issues among student-athletes stem not only from external factors but also from self-imposed pressure to achieve perfection. This pursuit of excellence, she notes, often leads to distress, especially as athletes transition from being high school superstars to unheralded college freshmen shift that leaves many feeling disillusioned. From personal experience, playing a sport in high school was a defining part of my identity. When playing at a higher, more competitive level, athletes still try to be the superstars they were in high school and lose themselves in their anxieties when they are not performing at that echelon. This can be debilitating and lead to overthinking, panic attacks, identity crises, and panic disorders. When sitting down with athletes who feel this way, Molloy believes that navigating through these changes is important for the athletes to be confident in themselves and their abilities, to feel like they belong where they are.   

Student-athletes go through a continuous cycle of stress and anxiety. Research by Brian Edwards and his team found that student-athletes exceed non-student-athletes in rates of attempted suicide, substance abuse, and eating disorders. When struggling with mental disorders like those, or anxiety and depression, athletes have a harder time performing at their best. This decrease in ability causes symptoms to worsen, and without seeking treatment, the cycle of stress will continue.  

For example, Molloy explains that coaches are under stress themselves because everything is based on how the team and individual players perform. Coaches are likely to take their stress out on the athletes, causing more mental anguish for them, continuing the pattern. Right now, suicide is the number two leading cause of death in student-athletes, after accidents. The suicide rate of 15.3% places the importance of mental health care for me. College athletics are important and intense, but they should also be enjoyable. These sports used to be a source of joy, but now, more than ever, college athletics have turned into an endless cycle of mental anguish for some. 

The stress of college athletics has always been prevalent, but Molloy says when she was in college it was not as debilitating as it seems to be now. The growth of social media and popularity made college athletics more prominent. This popularity has some positive effects on the athletes.   

A notable positive outcome is the increased awareness of student-athletes’ mental health struggles, amplified by social media’s role in fostering open dialogue and reducing the stigma.  Social media brought light to the situation, leading to some improvements in college athletics' mental health departments. For example, at Pitt, Molloy serves as the first dedicated mental health counselor exclusively for student-athletes. Reflecting on her own college experience, she states that universities once lacked in-house support for athletes, relying instead on referrals to external mental health providers—a gap her current role now addresses. Now, ACC conference opponent Duke also has counselors in the athletic department. Other renovations to Pitt’s athletic department include an app to easily make appointments, check-ins, and get in touch with counselors. Since being at Pitt, Molloy has “decreased the barrier” for athletes to reach out for help. She has also increased the ways athletes can access mental health care. By putting these into place, athletes have an easier time getting the help they need.   

Although there have been improvements to the system at Pitt and other schools, there is always room for more. College athletes go through much more than what is seen in the public eye, and even more issues than what is addressed in this article. Most people, including myself, first think of student-athletes as pawns to be played, but now I recognize that they are students and people first. They go through the same emotions and mental health issues as any other college student. The student comes before the athlete, and the person they are outside of both comes first. With further advancements like apps and specified counselors, athletes can get the help they need and deserve. College athletics must be improved. Student athletes should not be dying from a sport they love.