It’s OK Not to be OK: Why Athletes Are Leading the Mental Health Conversation.
September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, usually marked by the yellow ribbon and filled with conversations that, years ago, not everyone was willing to take part in. Compared to 2024, Suicides in the U.S have decreased by 16% overall.
Mental health has lately become a common topic of conversation, as people have decided to prioritize mental well-being and overall health.
On the other hand, professional athletes constantly endure pressure to perform that can extend far beyond the scoreboard. Behind the championships, endorsements, and millions of fans are people who can experience anxiety, depression, burnout, and emotional exhaustion just like anyone else.
In recent years, athletes such as Kevin Love, Naomi Osaka, DeMar DeRozan and Ryan Clark have used their platforms to challenge the idea that being strong means handling everything alone.
Athletes and Speaking Up
Former NBA player Kevin Love caught everyone’s attention in the 2017 season with his distress during a match against the Atlanta Hawks. Eventually, He opened up about his mental health struggles after experiencing a panic attack during an NBA game. In his essay for The Players’ Tribune, Love explained how he had spent years believing that asking for help was a sign of weakness, especially because of the pressure men and athletes often feel to appear strong. After the panic attack, he began seeing a therapist and realized that talking about his emotions helped him understand and manage the issues he had been carrying.
This week’s note, named after Naomi Osaka, opened the conversation by saying, “It’s OK not to be OK,” with her coverage in TIME. In 2021, the audience was shocked when she stepped away from tennis at the French Open. In her essay for TIME, she explained that she needed to prioritize her mental well-being and discussed the anxiety and pressure she experienced surrounding media obligations. Osaka emphasized that athletes are human too and argued that they should be able to take mental health breaks.
Six-time NBA All-Star DeMar DeRozan has become a powerful advocate for mental health after publicly sharing his experience with depression in 2018. Despite being at the top of his NBA career, DeRozan revealed he was struggling emotionally, showing that mental health challenges can affect athletes even when everything appears successful on the outside. Since then, he has encouraged athletes to express their emotions, seek professional help, and find support systems outside of sports.
Ex-NY Giants Ryan Clark has also joined the conversation, using his platform to remind fans that mental health struggles can affect anyone, regardless of success or athletic ability. In 2025, Clark spoke about the death of NFL player Marshawn Kneeland and emphasized that mental health issues do not disappear simply because an athlete can perform at the highest level. He encouraged people to check on the people around them, pointing out that someone can appear happy and successful while privately struggling.
From Performance to Well-Being
Together, these athletes demonstrate why emotional wellness deserves the same attention as physical health. Anxiety, depression, and burnout can affect anyone, including people who appear to have everything under control.
That is why organizations such as NAMI, The Jed Foundation, and Mental Health America can play an important role in providing education, resources, and support.
Mental health is not a weakness, and seeking support does not make an athlete less competitive, less successful, or less strong. If anything, Love, Osaka, DeRozan, and Clark show that being honest about mental health can help create a healthier definition of strength—one that includes vulnerability, self-care, and asking for help when needed.
Tips on prioritizing your mental health
When you decide to get up and start practicing again, be sure always to take care of your health. When it is your priority, here are 5 tips on how to take care of it:
Prioritize rest: Give your body and mind enough time to recover between practices and competitions.
Talk about your feelings: Share stress, anxiety, or frustration with a coach, teammate, friend, family member, or professional.
Set realistic goals: Focus on progress rather than expecting perfection every time.
Take breaks: It’s okay to step away from training when you feel overwhelmed or burned out.
If you’re struggling, you don’t have to face it alone—reach out to a mental health hotline or trusted professional for support.
Resources:
Health Editorial Team. (2025, January 8). DeMar DeRozan Drives Mental Health Forward for Athletes. Health. https://www.health.com/demar-derozan-advocacy-award-8752981
Love, K. (2018, March 6). Kevin Love on Mental Health: Everyone Is Going Through Something. The Players' Tribune. https://www.theplayerstribune.com/articles/kevin-love-everyone-is-going-through-something
Philogene, H. (2025, November 7). Ryan Clark reminds sports fans that ‘athletic feats don’t fend off’ mental health struggles. Yahoo Sports; Yahoo! Sports. https://sports.yahoo.com/article/ryan-clark-reminds-sports-fans-153000295.html
Osaka, N. (2021, July 8). Naomi Osaka: “It’s O.K. Not to Be O.K.” TIME; Time. https://time.com/6077128/naomi-osaka-essay-tokyo-olympics/
Comments