“Even as I was flailing around the mat as a freshman in high school, getting pinned ever other match, I loved this sport to the core. Yeah, some practices sucked, and sure, there were times in the dead of winter when I wished the end of the season would hurry up and get here. But nothing had ever come close to snuffing out my passion for wrestling. In the days and weeks after I lost at Nationals, I lost that passion. For the first time in my life, wrestling felt like a job… the thought of it [another season] made me tired. I was emotionally and physically fatigued. I wanted no part of off season workouts. I’d heard of the expression “burnout.” Now I had firsthand knowledge of exactly what it meant… I was floating along in a kind of low-grade depression, numb to everything. I was just… there.” From Unstoppable by Anthony Robles

            My oldest son and I had the pleasure of meeting and interviewing collegiate wrestler Anthony Robles a few years ago. Born without one leg, he overcame many obstacles to become a NCAA champion. His book is full of honesty, and this passage is a reminder that athletes can become burned out too.

            I say, “too” because coaches and those working in sports are incredibly susceptible to burnout, often caused by little stressors that build up over time and become seemingly insurmountable when we lack the resources to moderate them. Burnout quickly follows. However, as the passage from Robles shows, burnout may also be caused by significant one-off obstacles too. Robles hadn’t achieved his goal of a national championship title, and the thought of having to start again was just too much for him at the time.

            By far and away, Stress and burnout is the number one topic in 2022 I was asked to speak on to groups around the country and beyond. Whether it’s coaches, athletic directors, or others in sports organizations, many of us are struggling with stress and the potential of burnout.

However, what I haven’t been asked to do is speak to athletes about this topic. Clearly, as a world class athlete expresses, burnout is real for athletes too. So, as coaches and others in sports, are you providing your athletes with the tools necessary to moderate their stressors and avoid burnout? If not, you should! Reach out if you’d like help.