OPINION: Athletes facing mental health challenges shouldn't have to suffer in silence
While engaging in what some sports pundits still refer to as "the mental health debate" — as if there might be two sides to wellbeing — a familiar and comforting pantomime is played out.
Such self-consoling and blindingly obvious statements represent an advance on less enlightened times when mental illness was portrayed as a sign of weakness or, more likely, not mentioned at all. On the surface, spending a month at a five-star resort with your teammates seems like a holiday rather than an inconvenience. For the vast majority of players, this will be the case.
What about a youngster with a pre-existing mental health condition that might be worsened by long days away from home?Comparisons have been made between domestic footballers and international cricketers who are on the road for months. Conveniently forgotten is that, in recent years, several cricketers have declined to join tours or returned home early due to enhance their mental health.
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