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Mental health in football - Coggle Diagram
Mental health in football
Stigmas and stereotypes
The idea that footballs are 'superhuman' becasue of their job
The idea that men showing emotion is 'weak
Speaking up about struggling is 'too vulnerable'
Physical health
When mental health becomes poor, physical health can decline to
This can then cause a lack of care for ones physical health - poor hygiene, unhealthy eating, eating too much or not enough, drinking to much alcohol to try and cope, poor attitude that can badly impact relationships
A decline in physical health then creates a knock on effect: poor peformance = more pressure = more mistakes = worse mental state
The influence of social media
There are no so many online platforms that it is inescapable - TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter/X
Almost everyone is on social media so news spreads fast - poor performace and hate on players gets around quickly
Social media makes hate more personal and players can recieve nasty texts and emails at the click of a button - can link with a fear about speaking up about mental health struggles
People think what they see on social media is 100% true and most of the time, it isn't.
The pressures of sport
Unrealistic standards
Important games - finals/high-stake games/penalty shootouts
Self composed pressure - perfectionism
Team dynamic pressure and not wanting to let fellow teamates down
Relationship with the game
Constant mistakes, bad performances and hate could make a player fall out of love with the game
Players could then develop depression because they have no drive or ambition - can link to the idea of hopelessness and how isolating mental health struggles can make people feel
The impact of falling out of love with something you used to enjoy - feelimg empty which can cause performance to decline even more
Public scrutiny and judgement
From critics - pundits, commentaters and ex-footballers
From fans when a club or a match didn't go to well - can link to social media
Football is a massive part of English culture so people may be very quick to throw judgment on players because the game is so important to them
Life circumstances
Players might have their own problems in their personal lives
Relationship problems, grief, self perception etc - can link to how fans treat players after bad games or mistakes, how they are too quick to be nasty and forget that players are also human
Some players might have pre exisiting mental health struggles, like depression or anxiety, and this could impact their mindset and performance on the pitch