The Experiences of Collegiate Athletes during the COVID-19 Pandemic

This study examines the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health and wellbeing of collegiate athletes. This research will address the help-seeking behaviors of collegiate athletes in order to destigmatize mental health concerns within athletics. The purpose of this qualitative case study is to acknowledge the mental health challenges that athletes face and are currently facing during the COVID-19 pandemic. This case study will consist of the researcher asking several open ended questions to the student athletes and recording their responses. A total of five student athletes will be interviewed for this study, varying in gender, race, and sport. The interview questions will address their experiences at the beginning, middle, and present day of the pandemic. After getting the participants' responses, the results and findings of the study will be recorded. The researchers expect to find that student athletes experienced higher levels of anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic. They also expect to see athletes report higher stress levels during the academic semester since they are balancing COVID testing, their sport, and their academics. Finally, they expect to find that the mental wellbeing of athletes overall was worse when they were sent home abruptly at the beginning of the pandemic.