Internal and External Wounds:
The Physical and Psychological Causes of Burnout in Athletes
Five Questions
What is burnout syndrome?
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How does the rise in sports culture affect the mental and physical health of young athletes?
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How are mental burnout and physical injury related and what are ways to prevent those from happening?
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What are the benefits of working out?
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How has sports played a major role in your life and has burnout or physical injury been a problem for you?
Brady Sawyers
Senior Thesis
Playing sports my entire life has taught me much about myself, more than I initially thought it would. When I first started playing baseball, as soon as a glove could fit on my hand and I could throw a ball, I fell in love with the sport. I continued to play baseball for the next 15 years grinding through the arm injuries, the pulled hamstrings, bruises, scrapes, blood, sweat, and tears. I did this repeatedly until my sophomore year of high school, when I stopped playing baseball. I couldn’t do it anymore. Too much time dedicated, too much of the excuse “I have practice,” too much Advil taken, it was all too much. However, I would never stop loving the sport, but I couldn’t play it anymore. It had taken over my life; it had drained me of all my physical energy, and I was sore every morning, practice or no practice.
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However, I found new ways to enjoy myself. I started playing other sports like tennis, focusing on music, and enjoying a social life in and out of school by surrounding myself with the people that I love.
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(Cam, left) (Brady, Right).
Abstract
​Student-athletes worldwide have gone through the stages of “Burnout.” Burnout, when someone's physical and mental energy and resources have entirely drained due to high self-standards, has played a role in thousands, if not millions, of athletes' lives without them realizing it. However, it is still a preventable symptom caused by improper training, workouts, and not listening to the body's needs. On the other hand, athletics in general, combined with proper conditioning and exercises, have extensive physical and mental benefits, achieved by teaching coaches and young athletes the dangers of improper training and the correct techniques to train efficiently.