Miami head coach Mario Cristobal celebrates after his Hurricanes knock off Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl. Cristobal’ s focus on mental health is building mental toughness, resilience and emotional discipline in college athletes. Photo by Mike Ricke
Moments before the whistle, a young man’ s heartbeat pounds in his ears like a war drum.
Sweat is already dripping down the back of his neck. He’ s insulated under pounds of gear: shoulder pads, gloves and his helmet. These provisions exist to shield him from physical injury, but they cannot protect him from the moment he spaces out in the final quarter, fumbles the football and costs his team the game.
His helmet will not shelter him in the car while his father berates him the whole ride home for his mistake. His shoulder pads will not save him from the social consequences of failure. If he’ s in college, or playing professionally, he won’ t be exempt from online hate spewed forth by people who put money on his performance, not unlike one would do for a horse running in the Kentucky Derby.
Stigma around men’ s mental health is a known issue. Experts say it comes from the false premise that being honest about one’ s feelings is inherently weak and exposes too many vulnerabilities.
Weakness and vulnerability are things to be avoided at all costs within sports, exacerbating the taboo nature of discussing mental well-being as an athlete.
PAGE NO. 24 NEWS AND TRIBUNE SPORTS MAGAZINE JULY / AUG 2026