Mental health & sports: From Ted Lasso to Ohio State’s Harry Miller
I know I’m not alone in my love of the Netflix show Ted Lasso. This will not be my only writing on this show as the writers incorporated mental health from the beginning of the show. The pressure on athletes is real, as is the mental health implications of being under such pressure. I am even hoping that I can interview Jason Sedeikis for The Just A Mom podcast!
In the last episodes of season three, Jamie Tartt, the super-star striker, returns to his hometown to play against his former team, Manchester City. He is terrified about playing there, and becomes withdrawn and isolated from his current team. Jamie breaks the team curfew, sneaks out of the hotel and goes to his mom’s house. He curls up with her like a little boy, just wanting to be held and comforted. Jamie goes on to have an amazing game, with his former team chanting his name. All is well for Jaime and he is the star.
However, this is not always the case. Look at Harry Miller, the former 5 star football recruit who played at Ohio State University and was projected to be a first round NFL Draft pick. Harry medically retired from football in May of 2022, citing his mental health as the reason for doing so. I had the honor of interviewing Harry’s mom, Kristina Miller, for The Just A Mom podcast. I was shocked to learn about the horrible, mean and abusive things people post about athletes on social media. College athletes! My guess is that this happens at the high school level as well. This is truly unbelievable to me. Things that people would never say to someone’s face are posted for the entire world to see.
““…The pressure on athletes is real, as is the mental health implications of being under such pressure…”
Harry Miller is an outstanding example of an athlete taking care of his mental health. And his mom gives a lot of credit to the Ohio State coaching staff. They immediately got him help when they learned about his needs. They supported his decision to walk away from football.
Most of us will never know what it is like to be a high caliber athlete playing on some of the biggest stages. But please, let’s remember. The players we are watching are HUMAN BEINGS and should be treated as such. Remember the golden rule–if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all–applies to social media as well.
