Description
Two experts in mental health and sport lift the veil on the crisis in women''s athletics, offering parents and coaches urgently needed advice and support and showing how female athletes can find joy in whatever sport they choose, at whatever level they compete.
No matter the sport, the message to girls and women on the court or the field is the same: Be aggressive, but not too aggressive. Win at all costs, but be polite while you''re doing it. Get strong, but not too big. Female athletes have long been conditioned to perform under these standards, gracefully and without complaints.
Yet, behind the scenes, female athletes are suffering from disordered eating, depression and anxiety, emotional and sexual abuse, self-harm, and even suicide ideation. Athletes like tennis star Naomi Osaka and gymnastics world champion Simone Biles recently took breaks from competition on the world stage to tend to their mental health. Their decisions have compelled many of us to ask:
