The behavioral health and mental health crisis that so many people are experiencing in the United States has become more prevalent, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. The need for mental health resources has only increased. You may ask yourself, what does baseball have to do with mental health?
Baseball is a game of failures. We all have heard the saying that when you are succeeding in baseball at the highest levels, you are still failing. The pressure that comes with the game and life can sometimes pile up. Bad performances on the field can trickle over to a player's personal life, or personal life battles can cross over to a player on the field and impact their performance.
In April 2021, Sports Illustrated highlighted the growing mental health crisis in Major League Baseball. Four players stepped away from the game that year for personal reasons, and many more high-profile athletes have become more vocal about their current and past battles with mental health.
We all know the story of Drew Robinson that aired on ESPN E:60 as well as countless other players like Danny Duffy, who have come forward about their battles with various things like anxiety, depression, bullying, etc.
Even last year, Austin Meadows opened up about why he had stepped away from the game for so long. "What I have told very few people is that I also have been struggling with my mental health in a way that has extended my time away from the game I love so much," Meadows said. "I've been dealing with this privately with a great team of professionals, but I need to continue to put in the hard work off the field towards feeling mentally healthy."
Many of us have been there in some shape or form and can relate. The courage these guys take to speak up is something to be grateful for. It can be hard to deal with these battles alone; we can often feel shame in speaking up. Not only are the players using their platform to raise awareness by speaking up, but they are also using it as an opportunity to hold their battles no longer in and try to do it all on their own.
Burger BOMBS
Jake Burger was one of those players who shared his story in an article by James Fegan of The Athletic early last year. There was no better way to kick off Season 2 of Beyond Baseball than with our interview with Jake. It was a perfect reminder of why Caleb and I do this. To provide a platform where players can feel comfortable sharing these stories. These are human side stories that so many of us can relate to.
Burger opened up about his journey through baseball. "In 2018 big league spring training, about the fourth game in, I tore my achilles and then actually ended up retearing it throughout the rehab process about 10 weeks into it," Burger said. "It was kind of a long journey with a lot of mental health battles I had to work through and am still working through."
The achilles tear had Burger feeling like he was alone on an island. Not many other players are going through achilles tears, and the rehab process is very long. "For me. I actually got diagnosed with PTSD," Burger said. "When I first got diagnosed, I thought that only happened to guys in the military… for me it was like there is no way… but there were a lot nights I am laying in bed and I kinda like freeze up and I can't move out of my bed because I am reliving the achilles tear."
Burger went through something that many of us couldn't imagine. That feeling of being alone on an island grew as he started to push away family and friends. They were feelings he thought that others wouldn't understand or get what he was going through, so why open up?
It got to the point where Burger thought about quitting, but what helped him continue to push forward was the one thing he was pushing away, his family. "The pandemic happened, I got back home and having that community feel with my family back home kind of brought me back to my days of this isn't a job," Burger said. "This is fun. I'm playing a game and if I have my mom and dad right next to me, and my sister as well everything is going to be okay."
That renewed sense of community and sharing his story is what brought Burger to start Burger BOMBS to try and help others find a sense of community.. "There is somebody out there that is struggling as well. I wanted that to be known to people," Burger said. "If I help one person out there that is a win for me."
Burger Bombs stands for:
B. be open
O. open a book
M. meditation
B. break a sweat
S. set a routine
He hopes that people can utilize these methods to help them get through some of those mental battles. That people can reach out to him, and he can let others know that it is okay not to be okay. That there is a community for people out there.
Through all the battles, Burger finally made his major league debut which became an emotional moment for him. He was able to power through so much adversity to make his dreams a reality finally, but he highlights that his mental health journey isn't over. He, like all of us, is a work in progress. It didn't just end with sharing his story. It didn't just end with his major league debut. It will continue personal growth, seeking help, helping others, and raising awareness on his journey. The battle, for many of us, continues.
"The thing about mental health is it is a never ending battle," Burger said. "You can't just defeat it in one day and it is over."
