When individuals point to college athlete mental health distress occurring because they can no longer participate in their sport as a problem, they are most often using it as an excuse for why college athletics should happen this fall. This is 1/x https://twitter.com/nkalamb/status/1293391846043987969

misinterpreting athletic identity foreclosure and why it is an issue. First, identity foreclosure is when an individual stops exploring other identities due to the perception they do not need to explore other identities or do not perceive other identities to be open to them. 2/x

Athletic identity foreclosure is when an individual stops exploring other identities adopting a predominantly athletic one such as, I am only a basketball player or hockey player not a student, or member of a student org. 3/x

When the individual experiences an athletic disruption such as an injury or end of career event (being cut, graduation, a pandemic) they are thrust Into an identity crisis. Why? Because they do not have any other understanding of self. 4/x

Other than being an athlete, they have no other identity to draw on for understanding the world and providing purpose. This is what causes mental health distress among athletes. The issue of pushing forward with playing sports because of athletes’ mental health only 5/x

reinforces a narrow sense of self that ultimately can lead to greater mental health distress later. Any college athletic professional should understand this about individuals with dominant athlete identities. Further, we should see this as an opportunity to work with college 6/x

Athletes to develop holistic, well-rounded individuals and ensure they do not experience the identity crisis when their playing career is over. 7/x

Most importantly, let’s stop pretending this is about players Mental health because it’s not. People using this argument about players’ mental health is an insidious ploy to twist a very serious issue for the purposes of making money and winning. 8/8