On Thursday, it was announced that the St. Louis Cardinals will be hosting their first ever Mental Health Awareness night as a part of their special promotions for the 2022 season.
The event will take place on May 26, when the Cards play host to their division rival, the Milwaukee Brewers. Fans who purchase a special themed ticket will receive a Mental Health Awareness Cardinals hat, with portions of sales for each ticket being donated to the St. Louis chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
“Nearly 1 in 5 American adults suffer from a mental illness in every given year,” the Cardinals said in a statement on their MLB.com website. “Community awareness reduces stigma and increases the chance for treatment and intervention. Join the Cardinals to celebrate Mental Health Awareness Night on Thursday, May 26th. Fans purchasing a special themed ticket will receive a Cardinals Mental Health Awareness cap. A portion of each ticket sold will be donated to NAMI St. Louis.”
It’s nice to see the Cardinals and other sports teams taking the time to address things such as this. The topic of mental health has often been put on the back burner in sports. But today, the sports world is becoming more aware of it and is doing more to try and draw attention to it.
The NBC Sports documentary “Headstrong” takes a deep dive into mental health and sports and how certain athletes have to balance it with their professional careers. The documentary features athletes such as Hayden Hurst, Clint Malarchuk, and Justice Winslow.
St. Louis native and 2011 playoff hero David Freese opened up about his battle with depression in 2017 and how it affected him during his time with the Cardinals, especially after winning World Series MVP. Freese also talked about how living in the limelight constantly after becoming a hometown hero.
Again, it’s good to see baseball, and the entire sports world for that matter, making more of an effort to raise awareness to mental health. It’s something that has seemingly been taboo in sports for so long, but now is finally getting the recognition it needs.
Athletes are humans too, and deserve to be heard when it comes to things such as this.
