Stresses and strains have never been higher in sport
We are now less than a month from the start of the Rugby Union World Cup. Every fan from every nation will be hoping players can avoid serious injury. However the psychological pressures on the teams, players and coaching staff will be as intense as ever with greater public scrutiny.
Hopefully the World Cup will set a high benchmark to protect players otherwise it won’t be long before an individual participant ends up making a successful civil claim against their employer for breach of duty of care.
Welfare has been a common theme across a number of sports recently.
Steve Smith took a heavy blow to the head in the Ashes Test at Lord’s. despite the importance of Smith taking his place in the batting line up, Australia have recognised their duty to its players under the concussion protocol.
Tragically Batley Bulldogs lost one of their players following a game against Toulouse in France last Sunday. It has been reported Archie Bruce suffered from asphyxiation and was found dead in his room a few hours after the game.
Bolton Wanderers who are in financial crisis were able to play only three senior players last weekend relying on a team of juniors. They were beaten 5-0 on Saturday by Tranmere Rovers.
Clearly the management were concerned about their welfare, resulting in a postponement of the match against Doncaster Rovers on Tuesday.
It’s not just the physical strain placed upon these junior players but the psychological pressures of playing against seasoned professionals in the third tier of professional football.
This week is also saw former Wasps lock Kearnan Myall bravely admit that he considered suicide during his career and has expressed concerns about the mental strain being placed on players.
Such comments have to be taken seriously with him saying “there are several England players I know who dread going into camp.
They don’t want to go there.
“It’s a combination of pressure, scrutiny, what’s going to be said and what they’re going to be made to do within the confines of the camp. What are the longevity of those sort of tactics?”
This was followed by Manchester United and Kick It out meeting with Twitter following online racist abuse of Paul Pogba.
The common theme is that we are talking about individuals who have the same concerns, anxieties and demons as everyone else. Yes they look great physically and perhaps are able to mask their inner feelings, but what’s clear is that pressures are far greater on sportspeople now than they ever have been.
They are under public scrutiny every minute of their working day and sometimes when not working.
This is real and employers of these sportspeople, whether it’s a club or the union they represent, have to have a full appreciation of duty of care. It’s akin to a working person in a dangerous environment. Those employees have the protection of full health and safety regulations and should be fully protected from physical harm. It might be special clothing, a hardhat or boots, but at least they can go to work knowing they are protected as best they can be.
So why should it be different in professional sport? The days of ranting and raving at a player to humiliate him are long gone. Individuals need more care and attention than ever before. We are in a different environment to what it was ten years ago. Thankfully progress is being made and it is no longer a stigma for a sportsman to admit he or she is struggling mentally.
However, it feels like a lot more can be done and maybe these incidents will start to resonate with the powers that be. It feels like the problems with mental health are only being scratched at the surface.
Professional sport should unite to ensure systems and practices do improve.