From the outside looking in, it’s easy to assume that professional athletes have it all. They make a substantial living and enjoy constant media attention, all by simply playing a children’s game. With their fame and fortune, it’s hard to imagine anyone in their position facing mental health struggles. After all, how could someone living the dream possibly suffer?
However, beneath the surface lies an internal struggle that often goes unnoticed. To fuel their idyllic lifestyle, they must perform at the highest level, night after night, with failure to do so having immense repercussions.
The constant pressure and scrutiny — whether from coaches, fans or the media — can take a toll, leading to severe anxiety and depression. The reality is that even the most famous athletes can be mentally overwhelmed by the relentless demands of their profession.
The mental well-being of professional athletes was recently brought into the public sphere by Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran.
In an interview featured on the Netflix docuseries “The Clubhouse: A Year With the Red Sox,” Duran opened up about his struggles with mental health and the intense pressure that comes with playing professional baseball. He shared that falling short of both his own expectations and those of others early in his career pushed him to the point of attempting to take his own life.
“I was already hearing it from fans,” said Duran. “And what they said to me, [it was like,] ‘I’ve told myself 10 times worse in the mirror.’ That was a really tough time for me. I didn’t even want to be here anymore.”
Surviving his suicide attempt was a turning point for Duran, offering him a new perspective that allowed him to release the harmful pressures from both within and from others. “Obviously you’re here for a reason, so let’s be the way you want to be and play [the way] you want to play and live the way you want to live,” said Duran.
As a result, Duran put together a breakout season in 2024, setting career highs across multiple statistical categories and earning MVP honors at the All-Star Game. His breakout is a testament to how prioritizing his mental health translated into better performance on the field.
One of the pioneers of athlete mental health awareness is NBA player Kevin Love of the Miami Heat.
In 2018, he wrote an essay for The Players’ Tribune reflecting on the time he experienced a panic attack during a game as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers. As a result, Love was left in disarray. He admitted feeling insecure and afraid of appearing weak, which caused him to internalize his emotions and ultimately intensify his struggles.
“It’s like a playbook: Be strong. Don’t talk about your feelings. Get through it on your own,” wrote Love. “So for 29 years, I thought about mental health as someone else’s problem.”
Love credited reaching out to a therapist as the turning point to combating his anxiety and depression. Since then, he has become a vocal advocate for mental health, launching the Kevin Love Fund to raise awareness and help shift the narrative surrounding mental health challenges.
The courage shown by athletes like Duran and Love should be celebrated and serve as a powerful reminder to athletes at every level that they are not alone and that seeking help is a sign of strength, not weakness.
We need to start humanizing professional athletes, separating them from their massive contracts and public personas, and acknowledge that they are just as vulnerable to mental health challenges as anyone else. Destigmatizing these struggles is essential, not only for their well-being but for the culture of sports as a whole.
At the end of the day, professional athletes — just like the rest of us — struggle with their mental health, and they deserve the same compassion, understanding and support.