Mark Allen interview prompts debate on mental health in sport
Peter Martin, Hugh MacDonald and Gordon Parks discussed whether athletes need dedicated mental health support after Mark Allen said he may give up snooker.
By Peter Martin,
Mark Allen's interview after his defeat at the Northern Ireland Open, in which the snooker player said he thinks he may give the sport up, was the starting point for a discussion on mental health in sport on The Journos.
Peter Martin, Hugh MacDonald and Gordon Parks considered whether sportsmen and women need dedicated mental health experts to help them deal with rejection and failure in public.
"Sport is absolutely brutal"
Hugh MacDonald said "sport is absolutely brutal". He also discussed the chaplains at SFA clubs. The panel covered the role of psychologists and of PFA Scotland in supporting players.
Peter Martin brought Cyriel Dessers and Kasper Høgh into the conversation.
Life after the dressing room
Gordon Parks spoke about the brotherhood of the dressing room and what happens to players when their career ends. "When it's over, there's no parachute," he said. He also discussed PFA Scotland.
Fraser Wishart and the subject of hangers-on also came up, and the panel described part of the subject as "Gut-wrenching".
Charity games as therapy
The programme also looked at former players' charity games. The panel suggested that the togetherness these games bring can be its own kind of therapy. Gordon Parks spoke about Dukla Pumpherston's charity game.
The discussion raised a wider question about the support players should receive once their playing days are over.
Anyone who is struggling can talk to Samaritans, free in the UK on 116 123, at any time.