Ole Miss Rebels Athletics Shares Message on World Mental Health Day

Ole Miss Rebels Athletics shared a message on World Mental Heath Day.

Sep 28, 2024; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin walks across the field at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium prior to the game against the Kentucky Wildcats. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

In a world where athletes are looked at as superheroes, many people tend to look past the mental side of sports.

Athletes spend countless hours in the gym and on the field trying to perfect their craft, and while this process builds you up physically, mentally it is one of the hardest processes that someone will face in their entire lives.

Thursday marks World Mental Health Day, and Ole Miss has taken steps recently to ensure that its athletes have the support they need in that arena.

Ole Miss Athletics released a video on both Instagram and X on Thursday where they had athletes from multiple sports call someone and tell them that they loved and appreciated them, which may seem like a small gesture, but you never know what they could mean to a person and how it could affect them in a positive manner.

You can view that video below.

It's #WorldMentalHealthDay 💚

Call someone you love today and remember, it's ok to not be ok. pic.twitter.com/DswiJRRjhW

— Ole Miss Athletics (@OleMissSports) October 10, 2024

Mentality is something that is talked a lot about in sports, but mental health has sometimes seemed to escape the conversation. However, Ole Miss Rebels football head coach Lane Kiffin spoke about the importance of mental health after he and the coaching staff earned mental health first aid certification last year.

"I was excited to do that and just excited for the education with that and the ability to see things and help our players," Kiffin said.

Mental health issues are not something we can necessarily stop, but the more tools we have to fight them, the more lives and careers can be positively impacted. That goes beyond everyday life, all the way to the courts and fields of the Southeastern Conference and the rest of college sports.