[cardcrimson]

Suicide rates are up across the board, though not to the extent they appear to be with athletes. I'd guess the added pressure to perform on the field, court or pool adds to it, and to some extent bad behavior by coaches (see Teri McKeever). Bullying by coaches happens not just at the college level, either, and is a serious problem administrations don't appear to want to address.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/8273...s-by-year/

Why would one believe bullying, and bullying by coaches, is any more now than, say, 20 or 50 or 100 years ago?  My gut feeling is that it is far less now, but I have little basis for that feeling other than that we pay attention to it now so it would be weeded out sooner.

The comparison was athlete to non-athlete, so the reference to years in the past is irrelevant. That said, what the swimmers at Cal endured was awful and the administration did nothing. I've seen coaches bully, abuse and threaten high school athletes, including my own, first hand. I've seen school administrations ignore the issue, as well. So it still happens. Add on the sexual abuse of athletes such as evident by the cases of the US gymnastics doctor and the So Cal polo coach and I'd say the abuse levels are quite possibly higher today than 20, 50 or 100 years ago. 20, 50, or 100 years ago women's sports were a fraction of what they are today and the opportunity for abuse is now exponentially higher. . . .

Mick and newguy, so sorry for your losses. Mental health is an important issue, and the stigma needs to go away, yet some still blame the victim. . . .

[cardcrimson]

Suicide rates are up across the board, though not to the extent they appear to be with athletes. I'd guess the added pressure to perform on the field, court or pool adds to it, and to some extent bad behavior by coaches (see Teri McKeever). Bullying by coaches happens not just at the college level, either, and is a serious problem administrations don't appear to want to address.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/8273...s-by-year/

Why would one believe bullying, and bullying by coaches, is any more now than, say, 20 or 50 or 100 years ago?  My gut feeling is that it is far less now, but I have little basis for that feeling other than that we pay attention to it now so it would be weeded out sooner.

The comparison was athlete to non-athlete, so the reference to years in the past is irrelevant. That said, what the swimmers at Cal endured was awful and the administration did nothing. I've seen coaches bully, abuse and threaten high school athletes, including my own, first hand. I've seen school administrations ignore the issue, as well. So it still happens. Add on the sexual abuse of athletes such as evident by the cases of the US gymnastics doctor and the So Cal polo coach and I'd say the abuse levels are quite possibly higher today than 20, 50 or 100 years ago. 20, 50, or 100 years ago women's sports were a fraction of what they are today and the opportunity for abuse is now exponentially higher. . . .

Mick and newguy, so sorry for your losses. Mental health is an important issue, and the stigma needs to go away, yet some still blame the victim. . . .