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Youth Sports Are Becoming the Front Door to Community Health
We are officially starting the new school year of 2026-2027, and the kids and teenagers are back in the classrooms, and with that, new sports events as well, and so come at hand the concerns regarding the youth's health in sports. From the Field to the Community A soccer field, basketball court, or community center can become much more than a place for competition. When health organizations partner with youth sports programs, these spaces can become accessible points for educ
pazmorrr
4 days ago3 min read


Living and Competing with Severe Eczema: Suni Lee
When we speak of eczema, most people will say, “Stop scratching, and it will pass!” “It's poor hygiene,” or “it's contagious.” There are a lot of misconceptions regarding this health condition; a lot of people fear it due to the lack of information they have. Truth is, eczema is not contagious, is not about hygiene, and we hope! We hope it was as easy to stop scratching and that it will vanish, but in reality it isn’t. There are truths in the misconceptions, including two imp
pazmorrr
Aug 243 min read


It’s OK Not to Be OK: Why Athletes Are Leading the Mental Health Conversation
For a long time, athletes were expected to be tough. They were supposed to push through pain, stay focused, keep their emotions in check and never let anyone see them struggle. In sports, showing vulnerability could sometimes be mistaken for weakness. That mindset is beginning to change. Today, some of the most recognizable athletes in the world are using their platforms to talk openly about mental health. They are speaking about anxiety, depression, burnout, pressure and the
benjohnson80
Aug 146 min read


Why Athletes Are Becoming Healthcare's Most Trusted Advocates
When former NFL safety Ryan Clark stepped onto the field in Denver in 2007, he expected to play football. Instead, he experienced a life-threatening medical emergency caused by complications from sickle cell trait. It was a moment that changed his life forever. Rather than keeping the experience private, Clark chose to share his story, using one of the most difficult moments of his career to educate athletes, coaches, and families about a condition that many people knew very
benjohnson80
Aug 73 min read


Back-to-School Sports Prep: The Health Checklist Every Parent Needs
As summer winds down and a new school year begins, families everywhere are getting ready for another sports season. Cleats are being replaced, schedules are filling up, and excitement is building for the first practices and games. For young athletes, it's the start of new opportunities, new teammates, and new goals. For parents, it often means making sure everything is ready before the season begins. While uniforms and equipment usually top the checklist, one of the most impo
benjohnson80
Jul 314 min read


Women in Sports, Women’s Health: Why the Conversation Can’t Wait
The Start of Every Star Every girl has a first memory in childhood of playing a sport, accompanied by their family or friends, whether it is soccer or tennis; every girl finds, at some point in their life, a bit of love for one sport. Now, those girls have grown up; some of them quit the sport when life got busy, but others have become professionals, with the passion and love that filled them with joy in their early years. Those are the women in the fields, courts, and big le
pazmorrr
Jul 243 min read


What Sports Teach Us About Resilience When Health Changes Everything
During Chronic Illness Awareness Month, what first comes to mind are long-lasting diseases that no one talks about or chooses to hide, yet that people check off on job applications when asked about any illness or condition. In an era where everything is visible, someone who hasn’t kept quiet about her health condition has been the tennis star, Venus Williams. Scott Taetsch / Getty Images Holder of 49 WTA singles titles, William experienced a life-changing diagnosis with Sjör
pazmorrr
Jul 174 min read


Why Representation in Healthcare Matters: Sports, Trust & Minority Mental Health
In honor of Minority Mental Health Awareness Month When people think about healthcare, they often think about hospitals, doctor's offices, medications, or annual checkups. Rarely do they think about sports. But for millions of young people, sports are where some of life's most important conversations begin. A coach notices when an athlete seems withdrawn. A teammate recognizes when someone isn't acting like themselves. An athletic trainer checks in after practice and asks, "A
benjohnson80
Jul 94 min read


More Than a Sunburn: Why UV Safety Matters for Young Athletes This Summer
UV Safety Month | Summer Sports Safety | Youth Athletics Wellness Every summer, the courts, fields, and tracks fill up early. Tournaments start before the heat peaks, practices stretch into the afternoon, and young athletes spend hours outside chasing competition, growth, and opportunity. For many, it’s the best part of the year. But for athletes like Jessica Pegula, it also comes with something most people don’t think about enough: constant, prolonged sun exposure. Pegula ha
benjohnson80
Jul 23 min read


More Than Awareness: Why Sickle Cell Conversations Belong in Sports
With the recent NBA Conference winners, there is a name that should be mentioned, particularly this month, when the spotlight is on sickle cell: Billy Garret. Billy Garrett, a former New York Knicks player, who joined the blue and orange team during the 2019 season. Garret became the first NBA player to join the league with outspoken Sickle Cell disease. Coming from a family of basketball legacies, Billy was told he shouldn’t play sports because of his health condition. Taugh
Shamekka Marty
Jun 273 min read


Brain Health 101: Real Ways to Support
June is Alzheimer's and Brain Health Awareness Month, a month that aims to raise awareness of brain health and encourage the prevention of AD (Alzheimer's disease) and other MCDs (Mild Cognitive Diseases). The Brain is the most researched organ in the human body worldwide. Taking care of ourselves goes beyond our physical health; it involves taking care of our mental and brain health. Myths on brain health While growing up, I remember my parents always being worried if I
Shamekka Marty
Jun 184 min read


The Invisible Injury: What Athletes Teach Us About PTSD, Trauma & Mental Health
When people think about injuries, they usually think about something they can see. A cast on a broken arm, a knee brace after surgery, or crutches on the sidelines are all visible reminders that someone is hurting. We understand physical injuries because the evidence is right in front of us. Mental and emotional injuries are different. Someone can be struggling deeply while still showing up to work, caring for their family, competing in sports, or smiling in public. The pain
benjohnson80
Jun 115 min read


Why Men Don't Talk About Their Health And How Sports Can Change That
For generations, boys have been taught some version of the same lesson: be tough, don't complain, and push through it. Whether those messages come from sports, family, friends, or broader culture, many men grow up learning that resilience means handling problems on their own and avoiding signs of vulnerability. In sports, those expectations are often reinforced from an early age. Athletes learn to play through pain, shake off injuries, and keep moving forward no matter how th
benjohnson80
Jun 47 min read


Summer Sports Safety: What Parents & Athletes Need to Know
Summer sports are supposed to be fun. The tournaments. The camps. The extra training sessions. The long weekends spent competing with teammates and chasing improvement. But summer is also one of the most physically demanding parts of the athletic calendar. Rising temperatures, packed schedules, and year-round competition can quickly create the perfect conditions for dehydration, exhaustion, burnout, and overuse injuries. And too often, athletes are taught to push through warn
benjohnson80
May 304 min read


Mental Health Is Athletic Health
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. And in sports, that means something specific. It means acknowledging that the athlete sitting across from you in the locker room, the one who looks fine, trains hard, and never says a word about how they are feeling, may be carrying something invisible that no conditioning program, no film session, and no coaching adjustment is equipped to address. It means being honest about the fact that up to 35% of elite athletes experience a mental h
Shamekka Marty
May 264 min read


Women's Sports Are Growing Fast — Health Support Must Grow Too
Something is happening in women's sports right now that feels different from the surges we have seen before. The WNBA just tipped off its 30th season to the second most-watched regular season opener in ESPN network history. Women's college basketball viewership is up 33% year over year. WNBA sponsorship revenue grew 40% from 2024 to 2025 and is tracking for a similar jump this year, with major brands like Amazon Web Services, P&G, and Mars signing women's sports deals for the
Shamekka Marty
May 216 min read


Shamekka Marty
May 160 min read


More Than a Diagnosis: Lupus in Sports and the Athletes Who Are Changing the Conversation
May is Lupus Awareness Month. And if you are not familiar with lupus, that is partly the point. Lupus is one of the most common chronic autoimmune diseases in the world, and one of the least understood. It affects an estimated 1.5 million Americans, causes the immune system to attack the body's own healthy tissue, and can damage virtually every organ system from the kidneys to the heart to the brain. It has no known cure. Its symptoms: fatigue, joint pain, inflammation, and o
Shamekka Marty
May 116 min read


From Injury to Advocacy: How Athletes Are Using Their Platforms for Health Impact
INTRODUCTION There is a moment that happens for a lot of athletes, sometimes after an injury, sometimes after a diagnosis, sometimes after hitting a wall that no amount of training could have prepared them for, where everything shifts. The focus stops being entirely about performance and starts being about something bigger. About telling the truth. About making sure the next person does not have to figure it out alone. That moment is becoming more common. And the athletes who
Shamekka Marty
Apr 248 min read


Athletes Living with Chronic Illness: Performance, Identity, and Resilience
INTRODUCTION When we talk about what it takes to compete at the highest level, we talk about talent. We talk about work ethic, coaching, genetics, and opportunity. What we rarely talk about is what it takes to do all of that while your own body is working against you every single day. For athletes living with chronic illness: Crohn's disease, lupus, type 1 diabetes, ulcerative colitis, and others, that is not a hypothetical. It is Tuesday morning. It is game day. It is every
Shamekka Marty
Apr 176 min read
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