The idea of masculinity or toughness has single handedly defined some of the most popular sports worldwide.
Take American football for example. The objective of the sport is to progress along the field towards the opposing endzone on offense, while trying to prevent said progression by tackling or stripping the ball away from your opponent on defense. Since the birth of the sport, it’s been a common thought amongst the majority of fans, players or coaches that you have to be a “man” to succeed. And when Carl Nassib, the first openly homosexual NFL player, came out publicly in 2021, his contract was terminated by the Las Vegas Raiders, proving this thought to be reality.
And just recently, this value placed upon masculinity within such sports became even clearer. On May 5, the Tampa Bay Lightning National Hockey League team released a statement regarding their team captain Victor Hedman and his absence for the latter-half of last season. This statement, written by Hedman, states that his absence was a result of mental health struggles that became much more important than his responsibilities on the ice. While the remainder of the league has risen up to show support to this cause, fans across the internet have not, and it is nothing short of disgusting.
Instead of simply respecting the man’s experiences, people on the internet have begun speculating and spreading rumors as to why he truly didn’t play at the end of last season, with some even going as far as discussing Hedman’s relationships with his wife and his family. Rather than wasting the time to ridicule these individuals for their ridiculous behavior, I would instead like to pose one question: Why does it matter?
If an athlete or any human being for that matter opens up about their battles against mental illnesses, why do fans, who have no relation to the athlete or the situation, try to uncover why? Better yet, why do they say anything at all? When a friend comes to you about mental struggles they are dealing with, do you post about it? Do you go to other friends and theorize about what had happened to ignite those illnesses? What about a family member? The answer is no, and the reason is because you respect, love and care for that person. However, because it’s one’s job to be able to withstand physical onslaught and be the “toughest” athlete, it makes what happened to Hedman different?
It isn’t, but because clips of hockey players taking off their gloves to fight an opposing player or the arena-echoing collisions have defined the way the average person envisions the sport, this confusion is created. Just because an athlete has the courage to withstand physical pain, doesn’t mean that they’re immune to hurting mentally. Mental illnesses corrupt more and more individuals, whether they are an athlete or not, every single year. If a physical injury isn’t tended to, it will get worse and could cost an athlete the ability to play the sport they love. The same can be said for “injuries” to an athlete’s mental state.
Regardless of what myself or anyone else has to say about this situation specifically, it should be agreed upon by most that it is the health and well-being of not just athletes, but human beings that should come first. As a society, it is our responsibility to ensure that those around us are cared for and treated equally. A “real” man is defined by their character, not by their physical nature.
”This is something that exists in our game more than people see,” Hedman claimed in his statement to the media. “If this moment helps make it easier for others to take care if themselves when they need to, that matters.”