12-26-2019, 12:43 AM
LONDON - One in four professional footballers said they suffer symptoms of anxiety and depression in a new study into the sports largely unexplored "dark side" of mental illness. Cheap Cowboys Jerseys . The mental health of recently retired professional footballers was even more worrisome, with one in three reporting signs of anxiety and depression. Some 300 current and former professionals — from the Netherlands, Major League Soccer, Scotland, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand — took part in the study for the players union, FIFPro. While football can draw on reams of scientific study about players physical injuries, little research has previously been done into their mental health, and mental health problems have remained very much taboo in the sport, FIFPro chief medical officer Vincent Gouttebarge said. "There is definitely some dark side of professional football," he said in an interview. "We dont talk about mental health issues in football, or we didnt talk about this issue," he added. "Its quite a macho culture so people do not talk about it." Gouttebarge said the studys findings suggest that professional footballers are no less prone to mental illness than other younger people in the general population. He said that might surprise fans who believe footballers live comfortable, worry-free lives, with media attention often focusing on the wealth of the most successful players. "Contrary to what people think, professional footballers experience psychological problems just like other groups in the population," Gouttebarge said. Among the 180 active footballers who responded to the lengthy questionnaire, 10 per cent reported symptoms of distress, five per cent reported signs of burnout and three per cent said they suffered from low self-esteem. Nearly 20 per cent reported problems with alcohol, which Gouttebarge said could include binge drinking and regularly drinking too much, and seven per cent said they smoked. The 121 former professionals who responded on average had 12-year playing careers and have been retired for five years. Fifteen per cent showed signs of burnout and 18 per cent signs of distress. One in three reported drinking problems, 12 per cent smoked, and 39 per cent reported suffering from depression and anxiety. Gouttebarge said that could include worrying, mood swings, difficulties sleeping, feeling stressed, not being sociable or a combination of symptoms. "Mental illness seems to occur among former professional footballers more often than in current players, and more often than in other populations. Consequently, mental illness among former professional footballers cannot be underestimated and should be a subject of interest for all stakeholders in football," the study said. Retirement was "really a critical period," with players abruptly losing the structure of regular training and the support of being in a club, Gouttebarge said. "You have to find a new life," he said. "It can put you under a lot of stress." Long-term injuries and surgeries that take players out of the game and away from close, regular contact with teammates can also be factors in mental health problems. Being forced to stop playing professionally because of injury or because clubs wont offer another contract can be particularly hard to cope with, Gouttebarge noted. "This has been recognized in other sports as a huge cause of mental health issues," he said. "The guy who is willing to retire or to stop his career is really (in) a different kind of situation to the one who is forced to retire." He called the study "a good first step" toward identifying the scope of mental health issues in football. The survey is expanding to players in France and from French-speaking nations in Africa, with plans to also study players in Spanish-speaking countries and Japan, Gouttebarge said. Cowboys Jerseys China . -- Edwin Encarnacion hit a three-run homer, Colby Rasmus drove in two runs and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Detroit Tigers 9-4 on Saturday. Cowboys Jerseys 2020 . Terrance Broadway threw for 227 yards and Hunter Stover kicked three field goals as the Ragin Cajuns won an unprecedented fourth straight New Orleans Bowl with a 16-3 triumph over Nevada. https://www.cowboysjerseysale.com/ . The Redblacks host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (7-9) Friday night in their last home game of the year and as of Thursday afternoon, the team was anticipating a ninth consecutive sellout. You can watch all the action on TSN1, TSN3, TSN4, and TSN5 beginning at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt.REGINA -- For Hamilton Tiger-Cats like C.J. Gable and Josh Bartel, Mosaic Stadium might as well have been on Pluto given the frigid temperatures Wednesday. The Eastern champion Ticats ventured outside into the Grey Cup deep freeze and it didnt take long before players with visors looked they needed an ice-scraper to see out. Warm-air heaters drew a crowd. And when the lengthy practice ended, two snowplows took over the field. The Hamilton players exchanged helmets for Grey Cup tuques and happily headed for the warmth of their hotel. "My toes are numb. Fingers are numb," Gable, a California native who played running back at USC, said after practice. "Ive told the boys that Im going to be doing a lot of complaining (Sunday)," said Bartel, Hamiltons Australian punter. The temperature was listed at minus-16 but it felt like minus-28. A light snowfall made it the turf look festive but it was downright nasty at field level under an overcast sky. The Saskatchewan Roughriders opted for an afternoon practice indoors in Moose Jaw. Hamilton coach Kent Austin, who played and coached in Saskatchewan, said he has that option and may use it later in the week but opted to train in the cold Wednesday. "If you looked at the reaction of our players coming off the plane to the terminal, the walk to the bus, you would understand exactly why we need to be in the weather today," Austin said with a laugh at the coaches news conference earlier in the day. "So were going to get that out of the way early." Gable, at least, was warned about the conditions "Yeah, they told me about it, they told me. But I was like OK, it cant be that bad," he said with a chuckle. "I was wrong, I was wrong." Gable, who seemed genuinely befuddled by the conditions, said he would have to change his running style to take short, choppy steps rather than long strides and to avoid making a lot of cuts while running. Custom Dallas Cowboys Jerseys. "When I played against Notre Dame, it was cold. But not like this." Said Bartel: "The first two seconds were good. And then I couldnt feel my feet." Most of the Tiger-Cats were swaddled in one layer after another of clothing, although some opted to see what it was like without dipping into their wardrobe. "I tried to see if I can take it," said Gable. "(Thursday) Im going to have some more on." The forecast for Sunday is improved, with a daytime high of minus-one and low of minus-12. Kickoff is slated for 5:30 p.m. local time. Austin insisted the cold will not be an issue for his team come Sunday. "The Eastern semifinal (in Guelph) wasnt exactly a balmy day. It was pretty rough. ... Our guys have played in bad weather. "This is for a championship. We can all weather three hours of cold weather, thats not a big deal." In addition to working out in the cold, the Ticats piped in blaring crowd noise into the empty stadium to get ready for the din of the Saskatchewan crowd Sunday. Veteran offensive lineman Marwan Hage says he expects hard and slippery conditions, with the game coming down to ball security and fundamental football. But the hulking six-foot-two 291-pounder wasnt about to complain about the conditions, saying the team had handled the weather well in practice. "It was a little cold , but its cold for everybody," he said cheerfully. "Itll be cold for the other team." "Its Canada," he added. That truism was of little help to the teams Aussie, who was trying to see the glass half-full. "Both teams have got to deal with it," he said stoically before adding: "Ill probably be spending a fair bit of time in front of the heater." ' ' '