With both the Superbowl and 2022 Winter Olympics taking place earlier this month, the concept of glory through competition is at its peak. However, former student athlete and President & CEO Adam Powell is here to remind students that, “You are more than just an athlete.
"We equate [an athlete's] identity with what they do on the field, the court, or the ice, and relegate mental health to a secondary position despite extolling its virtues... Indeed, for those wanting to become “athletes,” we can and should continue to use sports participation as a means of directly promoting physical health, and indirectly offering mental health benefits and promoting the social psychological development of youth. However, we should do so with the full realization that they are far more than just athletes and distilling their identity down to their ability to play and win can have deleterious effects."