Week of Super Bowl 2025: Which Events Spotlighted Athletes' Mental Health and Welfare?
Super Bowl Week is packed with glitz and glamour, but this year saw a shift toward more serious topics, with mental health and wellness taking center stage. While athletic prowess often comes with a heavy focus on physical fitness, the conversation around mental health has finally begun to gain traction.
Tuesday's More Than A Game Wellness Symposium was a testament to this shift. Hosted by the NFL Players Association, NFL Total Wellness, and Tulane University's Center for Sport, the event brought together student-athletes, teachers, and coaches for a day full of enlightening conversations, experiential workshops, and panel discussions. Former NFL player Doug Middleton, founder of Dream Yoga & Wellness, even shared his knowledge through yoga sessions.
Meanwhile, on Thursday at NFL Radio Row, I had the opportunity to shed light on the importance of mental health services, particularly certified sports psychiatrists, specifically for professional athletes. It was astonishing to discover that I was the first individual to focus on this aspect during radio row interviews.
I had engaging conversations with athletes, including Al Smith, Orlando Brown Jr, and Jerome Bettis, about mental toughness and their experiences with coping techniques during high-pressure situations. The consensus was that mental resilience and clarity under stress make a significant difference in performance.
On Friday, the NFL Players Association hosted an event for clinicians and sports psychiatrists, focusing on their role in supporting athletes' mental health. Featuring panel discussions, workshops, and collaborations with the American Psychiatric Association Foundation, this event showcased dedicated professionals committed to making a difference in the sports world.
Finally, Leigh Steinberg's Super Bowl Party featured a Brain Health Summit, which explored the influence of music on our brain and mental health. The panel discussion, moderated by Nicole Roberts, DrPH, and subsequent Health Innovation Panel, drove home the importance of addressing mental health in athletes while calling attention to innovative developments in this field.
Looking ahead, it's my hope that in the coming years, the discussion around athlete mental health will continue to grow and thrive during Super Bowl Week and beyond. Acknowledging and prioritizing mental health will democratize access to care and support for athletes, ultimately ensuring they can perform at their best both on and off the field.
The sports psychiatrist at the NFL Players Association's event on Friday emphasized the crucial role of certified sports psychiatrists in supporting athletes' mental health, highlighting the APAF's (American Psychiatric Association Foundation) contributions to this cause. During the Super Bowl Week, discussions surrounding mental health and wellness, such as sports psychiatry, gained significant attention, even reaching the broadcast at NFL Radio Row.