"I Definitely Want to Thank My Psychiatrist: Digital Mental Health Disclosures in Professional Sports
Open Access
- Author:
- Delayo, Michael
- Graduate Program:
- Communication Arts and Sciences
- Degree:
- Master of Arts
- Document Type:
- Master Thesis
- Date of Defense:
- May 14, 2021
- Committee Members:
- Rosa A Eberly, Thesis Advisor/Co-Advisor
Michele Jean Kennerly, Committee Member
Abraham Iqbal Khan, Committee Member
Denise Haunani Solomon, Program Head/Chair - Keywords:
- persona
disclosure
digital media
sports
mental health - Abstract:
- This thesis begins with a brief history of the body, mind and sport relationship juxtaposed with a look at sports culture’s problematic treatment of mental health. Toni Bruce's concept of "mediasport" emphasizes the influence sports have on society at large and helps articulate how changes to the sports lexicon can significantly impact broader cultural language. Chapter 1 reviews extant literature on the rhetorical concepts of persona and disclosure in order to use them as the focal points of the case studies in the following chapters. Liz Cambage has established herself one of the loudest professional athlete advocates for mental health. Chapter 2 features an analysis of Cambage's use of the digital media platform The Players' Tribune to disclose details about her experience dealing with mental health struggles in her personal life. Also included is a brief history of The Players' Tribune as a platform and consideration of what it means to be authentic and why that question is especially important in the context of mental health and digital media. Chapter 3 is focused on a YouTube vlog created by Christian “IWillDominate” Rivera, which documents his plight with panic disorder as a professional League of Legends competitor. Raymond Shuck's analysis of former MLB pitcher Pete Harnisch's 1997 confession of mental health struggles provides a frame of reference for mental health disclosures by athletes in traditional sports media in addition to demonstrating some of the similarities between traditional sports athletes and esports athletes. The thesis concludes with a look at former NBA player Metta Sandiford-Artest to reassert the importance of athletes continuing to be open about their mental health, documenting how this change has come about, what effects it has had on present-day discourse about mental health, and how future academic work can keep up with changes to come.