Pope: ‘Young players have a lot to deal with’
RUGBY legend and pundit Brent Pope calls the demons in his mind “catastrophe anxiety” — the deep-rooted fear of what the future might bring.
Life has taken many twists and turns for the broadcaster and he has spoken with candour about his mental health difficulties, and using alternative ways of dealing with his demons through his love of fashion and design.
Pope is studying psychotherapy, which he hopes to finish next year. He aims to give a helping hand to young sportspeople who have to cope with psychological pressures.
“There is all this expectation and pressure on young sportspeople to play and perform well not only in rugby but in GAA and every sport. That’s a huge amount to deal with, no matter what age a person is,” he said.
“At the age of 18 a guy can be given a professional highprofile rugby contract, but then that dream of being a future great could be pulled away due to a lot of factors out of his control. Retiring from sport early can be devastating psychologically.
“Or maybe it might be the fear of not wanting to lose a match or not making the cut for a team which can have massive implications for mental health well-being. The dread of being ostracised by people privately and in public through the use of social media can also be so overwhelming.
“I’d like to be able to help sports guys because, you know, I was that soldier, so I can empathise. Hopefully what I have and am going through will even help one person.”
RTE lost the rights to screen the Six Nations Championship for four seasons from 2018 to 2021 to commercial rival TV3.
Asked about his future at the national broadcaster, Pope said: “It is what it is. None of us knows really what the future will bring and we have to roll with it. Life is full of challenges and we all have to adapt to survive.”
Over the last three years, the 55-year-old has launched his own shirt brand, Pope Shirts, and earlier this year paired the clothes line with Pope Shoes.
“It’s not all about making money with my shirts and shoe lines, being honest about it. First and foremost it’s actually really about how fashion makes me feel better psychologically,” he added.
“Look, everyone knows I’m passionate about helping others with mental health difficulties and they know I have mine as I’ve been quite vocal about it. For me there is a crossover between my anxiety and how fashion makes me feel since I was a child.
“I’ve grappled with low self-esteem and low confidence all my life but as a kid looking at trends in fashion has helped me. My mum worked in the rag trade and managed a number of shops back in New Zealand so I guess that’s where the fashion seed came from.
“Being interested in clothes is no different than going to the gym — they are both interests that give a psychological boost. People have to find their own path.”