Alabama Football: Anxiety can be Kryptonite to a super team

Increased awareness of mental health reaffirms that football is a game for the mind. Alabama football knows that very well, especially Coach Nick Saban.

The head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide football team has proven, year after year, to be a master of the chaotic minefield that is the athletic psyche. He has preached ‘The Process’ to his players, his coaching staff, and anyone associated with his team’s achievements, both on and off the field.

Yet, even Saban could not escape a powerful word that can cripple anyone’s chance at success: Anxiety.

Sometimes, we need to remember that these football players may look like gods of the gridiron but that they are still just university students. They have the same pressures as any other student but with the added issues of the media, the coaching staff, and the thousands of fans watching their every move. Their every possible mistake.

Anxiety is the most common mental health concern of children, teens, and adults. Whether it be physiological symptoms, behavioral symptoms, or just fearful thoughts, the results can be disastrous. These people with anxiety have trouble concentrating, causing a vicious cycle of frustration and irritability.

This state of mind can keep a person from leaving their homes for days, let alone stopping them from blocking an opposing defender away from the quarterback.

Nothing can be worse to a football player, who puts his mind and body on the line on every play, than having anxiety hold them back from doing their job. Every play counts; so, failure can just lead to more anxiety.

One can combat the effects if someone takes the anxious concerns seriously, learning from the failures that occur, and adjusting expectations to fit a more healthy approach.

So, it was not any wonder that Michael Casagrande of AL.com reported that, with a “full ESPN camera crew” on hand for Wednesday’s press conference, Saban went of out his regular stern persona because of the anxiety equation:

"“Things took a turn when he had trouble understanding the word ‘persona’ in the second question [a reporter asked]. ‘I guess I have to back up,’ Saban said. ‘I mean, I’m from West Virginia, so what exactly does persona mean? Is that the same thing as per-sauna?'”"

And then, he himself, Coach Saban, winked at the reporters, cheekily:

The object to the wink may have been the fact that the world was watching, and he wanted to make sure that his players remembered that football is just a game and that their coach can have some fun, too.

This unusual circumstance happened in the same news conference when Saban was asked “about issues that sophomore Bo Scarbrough’s had in the early season, Saban didn’t wait for the question to end. ‘I don’t think he really has any issues,’ Saban said sharply.”

"“[The media does] that for a lot of guys. It puts a lot of pressure on them, creates a lot of anxiety for them. What we’re trying to do here is get guys to develop and be able to be comfortable and develop and gain the knowledge and experience that they need to go out there and play with confidence, play fast.”"

The Anxiety Disorders Association of BC tells teachers to follow many of the same conventions that Saban displayed when dealing with students who have anxiety.

He took concerns over all of his players, making sure that they know that Coach Saban has confidence in their abilities to overcome any anxious feelings. He continues to try changing the fan base and the media’s expectations of the players, reminding everyone that the pressure they put on these young men can be very overwhelming. He quickly defended Scarbrough and his other players, when anxious people do not like being singled out. And, he also faced the faults in his team’s game head on, instead of ducking or hiding from the issues that led to the mistakes that his team made last Saturday.

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One of the best methods that Saban used to help the pressured situation was cracking that corny joke and giving that wink. The players can now see Saban taking the pressure off of them and making the press conference run much more lightly. Instead of the reporters writing and discussing how doom-and-gloom the last game was perceived, Saban made it about him being light-hearted. His joke may not have been that funny, but the wink certainly would have made the players smile.

That is how one shows someone with anxiety that they do not need to be afraid to fail. Football is just a game, but good mental health should be for life.