James Adem

For as deeply as teams dive into the makeup of prospective players， little attention is paid to potential mental health issues.

盡管球隊在塑造潛力球員方面下了很大功夫，但他們卻很少關(guān)注精神健康的潛在問題。

According to the National Alliance of Mental Illness， 20 percent of the nations population deals with some form of mental illness——nearly half of which have an onset average of 14 years old. The most commonly diagnosed type of mental illness， anxiety disorders， affect an estimated 42 million people.

據(jù)精神疾病全美聯(lián)盟統(tǒng)計，全美有近20%的人口有著某種程度的精神疾病——其中近半數(shù)平均患病時間長達(dá)14年。最常見的一類精神疾病，也就是焦慮癥，影響的人口約為4200萬人。

Former NBA first-round pick Royce White is one of them.

前NBA首輪新秀羅伊斯·懷特就是其中一員。

In 2013 ， White reiterated his commitment to being his own advocate as it concerned receiving support from the NBA and the Houston Rockets， the team that drafted him. Out of the gate， both the Rockets general manager and head coach were aware of Whites anxiety disorder. As the first player to be properly and publicly classified， White， his representatives， and the Rockets negotiated several accommodations over the course of his contract. Sadly， with Whites condition preventing him from logging much in the way of court time， and with no precedent to follow， the relationship came to an abrupt end.

2013年，談及從NBA及火箭獲得支持的問題時，懷特重申了他獨(dú)自為戰(zhàn)的觀點(diǎn)。門外，火箭總經(jīng)理和主教練都知道懷特有焦慮癥，作為第一個被合理公開定位的球員，懷特、他的經(jīng)紀(jì)人及火箭在簽約過程中協(xié)商了一些特殊安排?？杀氖?，懷特的狀態(tài)使得他無法上場太多時間，加上無先例可循，這份關(guān)系最終戛然而止。

All these years later， the NBA still lacks concrete policies for handling mental health and illnesses. The reason being， perhaps， that it simply doesnt fully understand it as a disease. Without acknowledging it as such， the criticism goes， how can you expect players to feel comfortable talking about it？

多年過后，NBA在處理精神健康和疾病方面仍然缺乏具體政策。個中原因，大概僅僅是人們并不能真正把精神疾病看作疾病。既然不承認(rèn)，那問題就成了，你又怎么可能讓球員坦然地討論呢？

The annual rookie symposium， held every year after the June draft， doesnt hold any sessions centering exclusively around mental health education. However， based on pure statistics alone， of the 60 players who are drafted each year， at least 12 of them already have or will have a mental health issue at some point in their lives. Considering how many Americans are never diagnosed， that number could well be higher.

在每年6月選秀結(jié)束后所進(jìn)行的新秀培訓(xùn)項目中，沒有任何有關(guān)精神健康方面的培訓(xùn)。然而，如果單看統(tǒng)計數(shù)據(jù)，每年被選中的60名新秀中，至少有12人在人生某個階段已經(jīng)或者將會面臨精神健康問題?？紤]到有太多美國人從沒有被診斷過，這個數(shù)字有可能會更高。

In this emotional netherworld of pro sports， being dismissive， detached， and ego-driven is encouraged， so much so that these qualities quickly become second nature. The result is a psychological makeup that， when put in uncomfortable or compromising situations， can yield a hitherto unseen side. Just this past week， former NBA player Delonte West， long since washed out of the league， was found hallucinating outside a Jack in the Box in Houston， Texas.

在職業(yè)體育這個不含情感的冰冷世界，蔑視他人、高冷以及自大的性格是受人推崇的，甚至備受推崇到了可以成為球員第二天性的地步。這就會導(dǎo)致，在心理做出偽裝后，又被放入一個不舒服或者不好的環(huán)境中時，一種過去從未見過的狀態(tài)發(fā)生了。就在上周，離開聯(lián)盟已經(jīng)很長時間的前NBA球員德隆蒂·韋斯特被人發(fā)現(xiàn)在德州休斯敦一家Jack in the Box快餐店外迷迷糊糊地游蕩。

On the one hand， its easy to dismiss Wests travails as an isolated instance of big money and bad appetites. If anything， though， West is merely the latest casualty of a business still not fully invested in the total health of its players.

一方面，我們很容易把韋斯特的艱難現(xiàn)狀歸結(jié)為掙了大錢、品味又差導(dǎo)致的孤立事件。但也有可能，韋斯特不過是一個不真正關(guān)注球員身心健康產(chǎn)業(yè)的最新犧牲品。

The game is unforgiving. Regardless of the league or talent level， athletes are， at the end of the day， high-end commodities. The fear of losing out on a job， and the millions in potential earnings that come with it， can dissuade players from disclosing mental health issues.

比賽是無情的。這和聯(lián)盟，以及天賦水平無關(guān)，運(yùn)動員最終都屬于高端產(chǎn)品。害怕丟掉工作以及未來百萬美元的收入，這會阻止球員公開自己的精神健康問題。

And while there is no clear-cut standard for evaluating mental health in any of the major professional leagues， its prevalent enough in the general population that sports leagues can no longer afford to ignore it.

盡管主流職業(yè)聯(lián)盟都不存在評估精神健康的明確標(biāo)準(zhǔn)，但大眾都認(rèn)為，體育聯(lián)盟不能再無視這個問題。

During his time in the NBAs Development League， Royce White stated that several NBA players， both current and long-since retired， relayed their experiences to him. And yet， hes the only one who became something resembling a top-fold story.

在展聯(lián)盟，羅伊斯·懷特表示，有一些NBA現(xiàn)役和退役很久的球員向他分享了他們的經(jīng)歷。但他的故事卻是唯一被廣泛報道的。

In his private letter addressed to Commissioner Adam Silver and NBA leadership， White said something vital in his criticism of the leagues lack of interest in mental health.

在寫給總裁亞當(dāng)·蕭華和NBA管理層的私信中，懷特表示，聯(lián)盟對精神健康缺少關(guān)注是他最不滿的。

"Shockingly， the consensus throughout the NBA that was communicated to me was no one would listen unless I played well. Unless I made myself of value to the league and the owners. I was told that saying something true is no longer enough to bring change or solution."

“讓我震驚的是，NBA向我傳達(dá)的共識是，除非我打出好的表現(xiàn)，否則沒人在意我說了什么。除非我能為聯(lián)盟或老板創(chuàng)造價值。我被告知，僅僅說出真相，已經(jīng)不足以帶來改變或解決方案了?！?/p>

Despite notable efforts to preach inclusion and acceptance， professional sports value a positive narrative that can be monetized on some level. Michael Sam wasnt moving the needle. Jason Collins wasnt moving the needle. If mental health is ever going to be an issue that forces change in policy and treatment， leagues will need the face of the issue to be one they can market. That might sound cynical and exploitative， but the proof remains very much in the PR pudding.

盡管人們付出了很多努力，要求更加包容、接納不同人群，但職業(yè)體育重視的仍然是某種程度上能夠轉(zhuǎn)換成金錢的積極故事。如果精神健康問題將迫使聯(lián)盟在政策和待遇方面做出改變，他們就需要一個能進(jìn)行營銷的人成為這一問題的“臉面”。聽上去這種說法有點(diǎn)憤世嫉俗，或者讓人感到被利用，但公共宣傳方面，我們能找到很多證據(jù)。

Even though hed found a productive niche during his stint with the Cavaliers， Wests career took a hit after it was alleged hed had relations with LeBron James mother， Gloria James. In the years that followed， West had multiple erratic run-ins with the law. All the while， despite a 2008 diagnosis for bipolar disorder， West refused to take medication for his mental illness. Whats worse， there was never any official report indicating whether or not the league or the National Basketball Players Association reached out to help West seek professional help.

盡管在騎士效力期間有著不錯表現(xiàn)，但韋斯特的職業(yè)生涯在傳出他與勒布朗·詹姆斯母親格洛麗亞·詹姆斯發(fā)生關(guān)系后遭受重創(chuàng)。接下來幾年，韋斯特多次觸犯法律。盡管在2008年被診斷出患有躁狂抑郁癥，但他仍拒絕針對精神疾病的治療。更糟糕的是，沒有任何一份正式報告顯示，聯(lián)盟或者球員工會聯(lián)系過韋斯特，為他提供專業(yè)幫助。

Strangely enough， Cleveland.coms Chris Haynes reported it was LeBron himself who reached out to West before bolting for South Beach.

奇怪的是，Cleveland.com的克里斯·海耶斯報道，前往邁阿密前，聯(lián)系韋斯特的反而是勒布朗。

"He later walked me down the stairs and said， D， I dont know where youre going or what youre about to do." West was quoted as saying， "But Ill be right here when you get back.

“他后來跟我走下樓，說，‘D，我不知道你要去哪，也不知道你要做什么?！表f斯特說道，“但當(dāng)你回來時，我會在這里支持你?！?/p>

The NBA players union is slated to tackle its next collective bargaining agreement negotiation in 2017. On the table will be a number of salient issues， with basketball-related income （BRI） being chief among them. But with new leadership at the helm——in the form of the experienced， dynamic Michele Roberts——and statistics regarding mental illness continuing to crystalize， its high time the NBA lead the charge in taking an active role in treating afflicted players.

NBA球員工會將在2017年進(jìn)行新一輪的勞資協(xié)議談判。臺面上擺著一些需要解決的重要問題，籃球相關(guān)收益（BRI）是其中最主要的問題之一。不過隨著工會更換了新的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)層——即經(jīng)驗豐富、充滿活力的米歇爾·羅伯茨——與精神疾病相關(guān)的統(tǒng)計數(shù)據(jù)變得越來越透明，現(xiàn)在正是NBA引領(lǐng)變革、在面對相關(guān)球員時采取更積極作用的好時候。

So how， exactly， should sports leagues approach such an imperative？ First and foremost， all players unions should make it mandatory for draftees to be examined psychologically as a part of their physical. Players often fail drug tests because theyre using substances （marijuana， for instance） to dull the effects of the larger underlying issue——including， in many cases， anxiety or depression. Leagues seldom hesitate to be as punitive as possible when confronting such transgression， yet seldom is the narrative about providing the best， most comprehensive treatment.

那么體育聯(lián)盟又應(yīng)當(dāng)如何應(yīng)對這一急迫問題呢？首先，球員工會都應(yīng)當(dāng)強(qiáng)制所有新秀接受心理檢查，使其成為身體檢查的一部分。球員經(jīng)常因為攝入一些物質(zhì)而藥檢不合格（比如大麻），但這掩蓋了隱藏的更大的問題——也就是很多情況下的焦慮癥和抑郁癥。違反藥物規(guī)定時，聯(lián)盟幾乎很少猶豫就會做出相應(yīng)懲罰，但他們卻極少提供效果最高、最全面的治療。

Players are grilled intensely about criminal activity and past indiscretions. But if teams are willing to dig that deeply into a players mental makeup， why not marshal the necessary resources to truly get to the underlying issues？ This would be a smart， proactive way to prevent players from falling through the cracks， and lessen the chances theyll run into problems later in their careers.

球員會因為犯罪行為，或過去的不檢點(diǎn)行為而受嚴(yán)厲處罰。可如果球隊愿意在球員精神問題上下這么大功夫，那么為什么不把適當(dāng)?shù)馁Y源投入到真正能解決問題的方面呢？這是聰明且主動的方法，能夠阻止球員墮落，減少他們未來在職業(yè)生涯中陷入麻煩的幾率。

Second， rookie transitioning programs must incorporate an educational session dedicated to teaching beyond the basics. Specifically， there needs to be open dialogue——from day one——between players and their corresponding professional organization about how mental illnesses are accommodated by teams and the league. Leagues should also make it a priority to install a certified board of clinicians and therapists to be available throughout the duration of any players career. Teams do this for biomechanics and physiology， so why not the brain？

第二，新秀培訓(xùn)項目必須加入一個旨在教授他們基礎(chǔ)知識以外的課程。具體來說，從第一天開始，球員和相應(yīng)的球隊就需要進(jìn)行公開對話，討論球隊和聯(lián)盟如何應(yīng)對精神疾病問題。聯(lián)盟也應(yīng)當(dāng)把建立一個由認(rèn)證醫(yī)師及治療師組成的委員會作為首要任務(wù)，在任何球員職業(yè)生涯的任何時候都能為他們提供幫助。球隊既然愿意在生物科學(xué)及生理學(xué)方面做出這么多努力，大腦為什么就是例外呢？

Perhaps most important， leagues should work to establish a employeecentric network that offers mentoring and support to any player who needs it. To understand how this could be effective， one can look no further than what Brandon Marshall is doing with his foundation， Project 375， established shortly after the All-Pro wideout received his own psychological diagnosis. The organizations primary mission is to raise awareness and remove the stigma that comes with a mental illness. Although his efforts are dedicated to the entire mental health community， Marshall has solidified his position as a leader that other players can go to in confidence.

也許最重要的是，聯(lián)盟應(yīng)當(dāng)致力于構(gòu)建一個以員工為中心的網(wǎng)絡(luò)，為任何有需求的球員提供指導(dǎo)與支持。想了解這種方法如何起到效果，只需看看布蘭登·馬紹爾的基金會Project 375就可以了。這個基金是馬紹爾，這個最佳外野手在得知自己心理疾病確診后不久建立的，這個組織的主要任務(wù)，是提高人們的關(guān)注，消除精神疾病的污名。雖然他目前努力的方向是所有精神健康領(lǐng)域，但這已經(jīng)足以讓馬紹爾成為其他運(yùn)動員的領(lǐng)袖了。

The harsh reality is that sports has cultivated a false image of what mental illness looks like in professional athletes. Without adequate， actionable knowledge， the ripple effect——young players being less likely to seek out help， and therefore more likely to develop unhealthy coping habits； just like the rest of us——is bound to remain a dangerous one.

殘酷的現(xiàn)實表明，體育在職業(yè)運(yùn)動員心中培育出了有關(guān)精神疾病的錯誤認(rèn)知。沒有適當(dāng)、可付諸實踐的知識，年輕球員越來越不可能尋求幫助、就像我們一樣更有可能養(yǎng)成不健康的應(yīng)對習(xí)慣，這種連鎖反應(yīng)有著極大的出現(xiàn)可能。

We neednt wait for a front-cover superstar to proclaim his mental health diagnosis at a press conference for action to be taken. If anything， its insulting to those who suffer from mental illness to suggest their struggles require a "face" as if the faces of thousands were somehow not enough. Weve experienced enough cautionary tales， and know far too many friends and family whove experienced their own darkest days， for us to stand idly by any longer. What we need is a new， enlightened level of acceptance， encouraged by leagues and teams， to offer treatment not only for those in thick of the game， but those from whom the game already moved on.

我們不需要等到一個超級明星站出來、在新聞發(fā)布會上承認(rèn)自己有精神健康問題才去采取行動。不管怎么說，對于那些被精神疾病折磨的人來說，他們需要一個“代表人物”才能證明自己的掙扎，這是一種帶有侮辱性的做法，就好像已經(jīng)有成千上萬受此困擾的人仍顯不足一樣。我們已經(jīng)見證足夠多的犧牲者了，我們知道，有太多的朋友和家人經(jīng)歷過他們?nèi)松凶詈诎档臅r光，我們不能再空等下去了。我們需要的是在聯(lián)盟及球隊鼓勵下全新、無偏見的接納，不僅為那些現(xiàn)役的球員提供幫助，也要為那些退役多時的球員提供治療。