Good for a Girl: A Woman Running in a Man's World

by Lauren Fleshman

To bolster my understanding of support—or lack thereof—for athletes’ mental health, I referenced “The American College of Sports Medicine Statement on Mental Health Challenges for Athletes” from 2021. The NCAA’s failures were covered well by Wendell Barnhouse in the Global Sport Matters article “NCAA Faces Uphill Battle Getting Mental Health Care to Student-Athletes.” The NCAA’s website contains a statement of its mission as well as bylaws committing to athlete health, which holds them accountable. The NCAA includes an article on its website called “Mind, Body and Sport: Eating Disorders,” which is an excerpt from the Sport Science Institute’s guide to understanding and supporting student-athlete mental wellness; written by Ron Thompson, that guide is basically a starting point for what should become best practices and policies. The NCAA’s “Concussion Safety Protocol Checklist,” also available online, is a great reference for future health legislation for female athletes. See also NCAA Bylaw 3.2.4.17: Concussion Management Plan—Bylaw 16.4.2: Mental Health Services and Resources is the closest bylaw covering the issues in this book, and it is not being fulfilled adequately.