Professional athletes are pushing for mental health help in youth sports

The World Series is about to begin with the Yankees and Dodgers and it’s been a stressful playoff season for fans and players. But when it comes to youth sports, stress and depression are a real problem. Youth sports are often just about fun and games. But for some young athletes, the fun turns into overwhelming fear.

“It was kind of taboo to talk about it,” said former tennis pro Patrick McEnroe. “I know when I was a kid I was like, ‘Oh, be tougher. Record it.’”

McEnroe said he knows all about the stress young people can face. He and his brother, Tennis Hall of Famer John McEnroe, run a tennis academy on Randall’s Island. Not only do they help athletes get better, but they also teach skills to deal with stress.

McEnroe said there are resources available for the mental health of young athletes and their families.

“Of course it’s for the kids, but it’s really up to us, the adults in the room, to understand it, to understand what we can do to help kids and provide them with those resources. And recognizing that it’s not just one thing “The game of the sport you play is a game of life,” he said.

McEnroe and several other sports stars recently attended a fundraiser at the Bronxville Field Club in Westchester County for the Bronx-based Full Circle Life Enrichment Center.

The group offers mental health treatment.

“Anytime we can come together and help young athletes, we jump right in because they are in trouble,” said Darcel Dillard-Suite, executive director of Full Circle Life. “A lot of people understand how high the numbers are when it comes to young athletes struggling with depression or anxiety.”

This ranges from young children in team sports to college programs.

According to statistics from the NCAA and the American College of Sports Medicine, up to 35% of college athletes show signs of depression or other mental health problems.

New York Jets player Tony Adams attended the fundraiser. He told the audience that he needed mental health support to get through difficult times on and off the field.

“We are raising awareness of the importance of mental health,” Adams said. “I think if more people did it, athletes and people in general would take their mental health more seriously. And I think it’s something that’s important in the athletic community, even in life.”

McEnroe has this advice for coaches and families.

“My message to parents and adults is: acknowledge what’s going on with your children, listen to them, ask questions, don’t judge them too quickly, let them express themselves. I think when there’s freedom for kids to express themselves, I think you’ll find that they’ll be a lot more open to the kind of advice and constructive criticism that you can give them about life in general,” McEnroe said .