Systemic gaps in athlete mental health: How sports governance fails under pressure of performance culture
Original framing: “Sports need better game-day mental health protocols to protect athletes – here’s how” — The Conversation - Global
Robust research links high‑performance pressure to burnout, anxiety, and depression, and the article cites these findings to argue for systemic change. It references peer‑reviewed data and methodological rigor, grounding its critique in evidence‑based mental‑health science.
The article reveals how entrenched performance cultures, reinforced by historical labor models and trickster narratives, systematically sideline athlete mental health.
By integrating Indigenous holistic wisdom, cross‑cultural practices, and rigorous scientific evidence, governance can reconfigure success metrics to include wellbeing. Future‑oriented modelling and accountable oversight, amplified by marginalized voices, will transform sport from a profit‑driven enterprise into a resilient, community‑centered system.