ABSTRACT

Despite attempts to decrease mental illness in the United States, mental illness and death by suicide are still prevalent in the sports community. The most significant barrier to athletes seeking help is stigma produced through the social construction of normal subjectivity. We drew upon Michel Foucault’s concepts of discourse and power to problematise the current state of effective sports coaching, coach education, and how stigma is produced in a particular coaching context. Using an autoethnographic approach, we delve into the lived experiences of a former collegiate-level swimmer with depression and suicidal ideation, who would later as a coach, manage a non-fatal suicide attempt from an athlete he coached. We conclude with a critical reflection on the narrative and discursive relations of power, as well as implications for athlete mental health and wellbeing, which include the need for critical coach education on coaching discourses, practices, and the current sports coaching épistémè.

摘要

尽管美国试图减少精神疾病，但精神疾病和自杀死亡在体育界仍然普遍存在。运动员寻求帮助的最大障碍是正常主体性的社会建构所产生的污名。我们利用米歇尔·福柯的话语和权力概念来对当前有效的体育教练、教练教育以及在特定教练背景下如何产生耻辱感进行问题化。使用自人民族志方法，我们深入研究了一位患有抑郁症和自杀意念的前大学游泳运动员的生活经历，他后来成为一名教练，从他所执教的一名运动员那里管理了一次非致命的自杀企图。我们以对权力的叙事和话语关系的批判性反思结束，