Why has mental health become central to the success of professional athletes?

Why has mental health become central to the success of professional athletes?

Traditional sports culture has long embraced the maxim "no pain, no gain." Physical strength and unwavering determination were the sole measures of success, and any admission of weakness or mental exhaustion was seen as evidence of failure or "softness." However, in recent years, the wheel has turned, and the mental health of professional athletes has become central to public discourse, spurred on by the courage of stars like Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka. This shift is not a passing fad; it is a fundamental redefinition of what it means to be a "professional athlete." A psychoanalytic analysis of this shift suggests that "psychological resilience" has become a critical skill, on par with physical fitness and strength. Recent research in neuroscience and sports psychology demonstrates that the human mind, just like muscles, has its limits. Constant stress, insufficient sleep, and grueling training without recovery periods lead to mental and emoti…