Mental Health: The Human Side Of DeMar DeRozan By Byron Jamar Terry.
We all know the NBA side of DeMar DeRozan. The superstar small forward and shooting guard for the now Chicago Bulls, previously San Antonio Spurs and Toronto Raptors. The one that you see dunking and making jumpers all the time. There may be another side that you probably didn’t know very much about DeMar DeRozan. That’s his mental health side. People tend to look at professional athletes as superheroes. They get looked at as people who seemingly don’t go through anything. People who are always happy because they’re professional athletes. Sadly, that just isn’t the case. Professional athletes go through a lot, just like normal human beings. Within their sport and outside of it. People may not realize what athletes endure and how it can affect them mentally.
Many athletes have been out-spoken about their mental health and DeMar DeroZan has been one of them. While playing for the Toronto Raptors in 2018, DeMar decided to speak up about his mental health following the All-Star break.
He tweeted, “this depression gets the best of me.” The tweet was very surprising. Some would think, “if this athlete can go through that, then anyone can.” Athletes are human too and they deal with things others deal with as well. When it comes to professional athletes, their mental health struggles can be more visible due to their platform.
Via instagram, DeRozan posted a picture of the Joker and said, “the worst part of having a mental illness is people expect you to behave as if you don’t.” I found the post very relatable because it is believed to be true. Some people do expect you to behave a certain way regardless if you have a mental illness or not.
For me personally, I recall times in High school where my teammates would be together engaging in camaraderie and I wouldn’t be apart of it. Not because I didn’t want to or they didn’t want me apart of it but because I wasn’t mentally there sometimes. But I would be expected to be there mentally regardless of what I was burdened with. It would be moments where I would mentally check out and my entire attitude would change. I could go from being happy to suddenly being sad and start to distance myself. Some of which would be due to my performance on the field. If I performed well, I was happy. But if I didn’t, i’d be sad. People would ask questions like, “what’s wrong with you?” All the while not understanding what I was going through mentally. I wouldn’t to speak to many people about my mental health because I felt like they didn’t understand what I was dealing with inside. I would feel like an outsider because I felt like people just didn’t get it.
In an interview with The Star, DeRoZan stated that, “This is real stuff, We’re all human at the end of the day. That’s why I look at every person I encounter the same way. I don’t care who you are. You can be the smallest person off the street or you could be the biggest person in the world, I’m going to treat everybody the same, with respect.” It’s very admirable because everyone should be treated with kindness and respect regardless of their social or economic status. I try operate on that same magnitude because I pride myself on how I treat people. I know what it’s like to be mistreated or feel left out and I don’t want to make others feel like that.
In regards to dealing with depression, he stated to ESPN that, “People say, ‘What are you depressed about? You can buy anything you want.” Money can’t buy happiness. Wealth doesn’t always play much of a factor in someone’s mental health.” DeRozan said, “I wish everyone in the world was rich so they would realize money isn’t everything.”
DeRozan also stated that, “It’s one of them things that no matter how indestructible we look like we are, we’re all human at the end of the day,” DeRozan told The Star. “We all got feelings…all of that. Sometimes…it gets the best of you, where times everything in the whole world’s on top of you.”
Often times, people among athletes are told to bottle up their emotions and not express what they’re going through. Some would think because professional athletes have success, they aren’t subject to struggling mentally. Anyone can be subject to mental health concerns. Some unhealthy coping mechanisms people may use to deal with their mental health can be drug abuse, alcohol abuse, self medicating, etc. While some healthy coping mechanisms are therapy, meditation, drawing and more.
During an Interview with Jackie MacMullan, DeRozan expressed, “I watched people suppress their pain with alcohol, which turned them into completely different people — aggressive, emotional, self-destructive. I chose not to take that route, but certainly some players have. [My depression] forced me to a place where I was confined, quiet, isolated. And over time, that wasn’t really healthy either. Those feelings build up.”
The NBA has made a point to care about its player’s mental health and DeMar DeroZan is one of the driving forces behind that. Many athletes have spoken up about their mental health struggles such as Kevin love, Michael Phelps, Serena Williams, etc.
In an interview with The Star, Derozan articulated that he’s, “not ashamed about his depression, and that he hopes his success on the court inspires others who might be struggling.”
I’m not ashamed about my mental health struggles either.
I did an interview with thesubwayalum.com and it detailed how I was dealing with depression as a High-school football player. I spoke out about my mental health struggles when I was 17 years old. Something I hadn’t really seen before from a 17 year old high school athlete. Although I dealt with depression, anxiety and such before High school, I felt like It was a good time to speak up about it. I was sort of nervous at first because people don’t really tend to talk about their mental health endeavors especially athletes. However, I knew I could inspire and help others. So I did it. I spoke up about my mental health. It surprised some people because I seemed like the happy go lucky person who didn’t have any problems. I can be good at masking my pain but I wanted to take my mask off and speak out on it. People would see me smile, joke, laugh and they would have never thought I was struggling inside. Nonetheless, when people would see how I would behave on and off the field and how I would distance myself, it became evident that I possibly had some mental health struggles. Having to shoulder the responsibilities of a student-athlete didn’t make it any easier but I managed them well by speaking out about it and using good ways such as therapy to cope with my depression and anxiety. Therapy is a great coping mechanism because it allows you to unpack the feelings you may be holding on to in a healthy way.
I’ve written stories about athletes and mental health in general to inspire others who go through the similar struggles that I do and to raise awareness towards mental health. A few of the stories I’ve written are “Bounce Back”, “The Mental Health Of Athletes”, and “You’re Not Alone.” Through the columns I’ve written, I’ve been able to connect with many athletes who may struggle with their mental health. Even so, I’ve also connected with people who struggle with mental health in general, not just athletes. I want to be able to relate and connect with everyone. We’re all human, even professional athletes.
I have plans to create my own charitable organization towards mental health, athletics, people with disabilities, etc. Athletes like DeMar DeRozan have inspired me to continue to inspire others and raise awareness about mental health.
In November of 2019, DeMar spoke to a group of local students about his experience fighting depression and such. That’s just one of the many ways Demar DeroZan is highlighting mental health and not only in sports but overall. I’m trying to do the same.
When it comes to the mental health of athletes, I want to be on DeMar DeRozan’s level. He’s motivated me so much to continue to inspire and encourage others when it comes to their mental health. I’ve watched so many interviews of his and I’ve learned so much from him. He’s a role model of mine and one of my favorite players. I hope to achieve as much success as he has when it comes to highlighting the mental health of athletes. Thank you DeMar.
-BJT
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Currently this story is at over 9,000 views as of. January 2024. Thank y’all for the support!
Ps: I work in sports after recently graduating from Kennesaw State University in may 2023.
