The first metanarrative that pops into my head is this idea of all athletes being symbols of strength and healthiness. A perfect example of this is when I search “athlete physique” on google, we see this unrealistic expectation of what an athlete should look like. Being an athlete myself, this metanarrative of all athletes being super physically fit with big muscles, abs, muscular legs and smiles on their faces was a big hurdle mentally. I had to stop comparing myself to this physique that is portrayed in the media and stop setting unrealistic expectations for what I should look like just because I played a sport. It is important to be aware of this metanarrative and debunk it so that other athletes do not undermine their identity simply because they may not fit into this metanarrative expectation. The meaning of sport is not to look like every other athlete, rather this is just a false metanarrative that is fed to those who participate in sport and those who are surrounded by sport. In addition, sport may look different for every individual. For example, some people dedicate their lives to sport by going off to play pro. Others are elite athletes who train every day at the collegiate level. Some may have intrinsic motivation to stay active so they participate in a variety of different sports for their own personal enjoyment. Since there are so many different variations of what sport may look like, it is only fair that there are so many variations of what an athlete should look like too! We as a society cannot expect everyone to have huge muscles as this is an unrealistic expectation of what sport leads to or what you have to look like to participate in sports. Overall, metanarratives like this one can be very damaging to individuals and may even discourage people from sports. 

Mental health is a topic that is often not talked about enough in relation to sports. Athletes are expected to be mentally and physically strong and are criticized when they are not. Harper Murray, a NCAA D1 volleyball player received a ton of backlash last year after making a comment in an interview after losing in the national championship. This short documentary shares Harper’s story about her mental health journey and the impact that sports has had on her mental well being. Conversations like this one help promote healthy communication about mental health and sport which has a large stigma around it. In addition, documentaries similar to Harper Murray’s may create a space for athletes to feel seen and understood if they are going through something similar. I feel as though sometimes people forget that athletes are humans as well. They cannot be expected to be perfect all the time, especially when it comes to their mental well-being. The intense pressure from fans, coaches and the media is often overwhelming and is not talked about enough. Due to the large fan-base, sports have the potential to create a huge platform for discussing mental health challenges however due to the stigma surrounding this issue, not enough is being done to support this idea. In addition, those like Harper Murray who do come out and talk about their struggles, often receive a ton of backlash for being “dramatic” or “ungrateful”. The question that remains is how do we overcome this barrier in sports so that athletes are comfortable in sharing their stories? In my opinion, it must begin with more people like Harper, who normalize talking about their mental health. The more people who come out and share their stories, the more society will open up to the idea that athletes have the right to mental health care as does everyone else.