It’s obviously quite a privilege to be a professional athlete. They get paid millions of dollars just to play a sport which is quite a nice luxury to have. However, we sometimes forget that these athletes are humans too. They go through the same emotions that everyone else goes through even though they make a lot of money. Yes, money can solve a lot of problems, but it doesn’t solve all your problems.
I bring this up because I sometimes question the way we treat athletes, especially younger ones. Take Connor Bedard for example. Bedard has been touted by some to be generational type talent and be a force in the NHL the second he steps into the league. That is a lot of pressure for an 18-year-old who won’t graduate high school for a couple more months. On top of that, if you’ve heard Bedard talk about his personal life in interviews, he’s mentioned things such as the fact that he’s never eaten McDonald’s before and doesn’t go to parties or anything like that.
“He's never had fast food … he will at some point, but he hasn't eaten at McDonald's or anything yet.” https://t.co/SWEkwXrA1n
— Jason Brough 🙁 (@SadClubCommish) March 8, 2023
This is all fine if that’s what he wants to do, but sometimes it feels like because of the way hockey culture is, young players have to sacrifice so much of their lives just to play hockey. It definitely does take a lot of dedication and hard work to make it to the big leagues, but perhaps there needs to be more of a conversation about toning down a notch and allowing players to live their lives, especially if they’re just a child.
Sports are great no doubt, but it feels like we put too much pressure on players sometimes. Players will be criticized for being seen eating something that isn’t considered healthy while in public or just going out and having a bit of fun. The expectations we put on athletes can be a little much at times and perhaps we should relax a bit on it as it could badly affect their mental health. Mental health is something that often seems to be neglected in sports as well, especially in hockey as there is this mentality of always toughing things out.
The reason I bring this up is because, in my opinion, I think that if we put less pressure on athletes then the athletes would have better mental health and also would make them better athletes as well. A huge part of sports is the mental part of the game, so why not try to make that side of the game better if we can?
This might be a bit of a controversial topic but let me know what you think about this topic. Should we relax a bit on the ways we treat athletes or do you disagree and think nothing should change?
Either way, be kinder to athletes and everyone in general.