Fear Strikes Out For Good

Welcome again to the Bill Bradley Collective, where this week your hosts survey the evolving relationship between sports and mental health awareness. Rants set the table, where Ed lays out the abhorrent details of a proposed Tennessee bill granting individuals the right to sue abortion providers and thusly allowing charges to be brought upon rape victims; Andrew wraps up day one of the NCAA Tournament with a post-mortem dissection of UConn’s performance in a losing effort and what the future might hold; and finally Zak denounces disgraced ex-New York Governor Andrew Cuomo following the latest stop on his no apology tour and the continued fallacious coverage of his so-called comeback. We then transition into our conversation on mental health and sports, with a focus on how the cultural perception of athletes dealing with mood and/or anxiety disorders has evolved over time. From Jimmy Piersall’s struggle with bipolar disorder in the 1950’s to Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka’s recent public disclosure of their mental health issues, we’ve come a long way in how we grasp the struggle many have with their own psychological well-beings. The conversation is also a deeply personal one, as our brother Zak opens up about his mental health battle. Whether you’re a world-class athlete or ordinary Joe/Jane, there is no greater self-care one can take than that of their psychological well-being. It is our collective hope this week to bring greater awareness to the importance of mental health and attempt to further destigmatize mental illness.