Analysis Of Beyond The Surface: Navigating Body Image In College Athletes

Lucinda Knight Mrs. Kerrn Honors English 2 15 March 2024 Beyond the Surface: Navigating Body Image in College Athletes Welcome, listeners, to Beyond the Surface! I’m Lucinda Knight, your podcast host, and today’s episode is about the environmental influences that contribute to the development of body image issues in college athletics. I will be taking a deep dive into the roots of the problem: body expectations of athletes and judgment in sports. Before we jump in, if you enjoy my podcast, don’t forget to hit that like and subscribe button to get a notification the next time one of my episodes releases. It truly makes your listening experience the best it can be! Now hit play and join me on my journey of body image. This is Beyond the Surface,

This shifts their focus on their sport to appearance instead of performance. Furthermore, Libby Lyons, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Certified Eating Disorder Specialist, wrote an article stating, “Negative comments from those who evaluate them can also be a risk-factor in disordered eating patterns.” The negative comments said by the superiors lead college athletes to believe that they are not good enough and need to be better. Many of these coaches and judges want the team or individual to get better at their sport and are not aiming to cause discomfort, but they begin a spiral of events, starting with the athlete's body image. Athletes try to fix their bodies the first way they can think of, often it is not a healthy way. Depending on the method used, it could be classified as an eating disorder or the beginning symptoms of an eating disorder. This leads to unhealthy relationships with food and declining mental health, which can affect an athlete's performance even more than their bodies. College students are likely to be more at risk for mental health

This has included the NCAA creating a specialized team for colleges to promote positive body image and to get rid of the leading factors in eating disorders. Not everyone will follow these solutions, but they still help to create a supportive and inclusive environment. Students and athletes will feel comfortable seeking help and receiving the support they need to overcome their image issues. This research has shed light on the contributing factors of poor body image in college athletics. Through the use of multiple sources, the body expectations and judgment of athletes have caused an increase in the eating disorders present in athletes. These findings are significant because they affect a large portion of the adolescent population and should not be overlooked. Eating disorders and body perception often are a taboo topic and it is important to recognize the educational programs that promote positive regulation strategies concerning body image, especially in sports that judge based on body image because it allows for more common discussion. Remember, try to educate and not