Sports Media Report
Class is in Session with Doug Glanville presented by UI Health premieres its newest episode this Sunday, August 29 at 5 p.m. CT on Marquee Sports Network. On this month’s episode, Glanville speaks on the important issue of mental health awareness, specifically among athletes, tying in both his experiences as a professional baseball player as well as welcoming in guests to talk about how Olympians handle the stresses and emotions of competing.
Doug Glanville, the show’s host, creator and one of its executive producers, reflects on his parents’ openness about counseling and the importance of finding support, “In recent times, high profile athletes have been speaking out to challenge us to learn more about mental health. Something then exploded when Simone Biles expressed it on an international stage. This personal Class is in Session episode reaches to connect the lessons and professional insights of my father who was a psychiatrist.”
Guests for this episode include:
- Bart Conner – Former United States Olympic Gold Medal gymnast; Owner of Bart Conner Gymnastics Academy in Norman, OK; Special Olympics advocate
- Dr. Mark Hutchinson – Member of Team USA medical staff; Professor of Orthopedics and Sports Medicine at University of Illinois at Chicago
- Stacy St. Clair – Award-winning Chicago Tribune journalist, covering numerous Olympics
“The guests are impactful as they share their experiences and we learn from Bart Conner who had his own incredible gymnastics journey and from Stacy St. Clair who covers Olympic athletes by taking time to listen in order to share what they are experiencing with the world,” explains Glanville. “Lastly, Dr. Mark Hutchinson gives us the medical insights as someone who has served over a number of Olympic games to help athletes cope with the stressors of the moment. Fantastic group!”
For the full discussion, tune in to Marquee Sports Network on Sunday, August 29 at 5 p.m. CT immediately following Cubs post-game coverage.
Episode Quotes:
“People say ‘Is it like the yips in golf?’ and I said ‘Well a little bit, but in golf you miss a putt, and here you go out of the building on a stretcher.’ So, the fact she could while the whole world was watching, say ‘Hang on a second, I’m struggling here’, when we all thought she was super-human, all of a sudden she revealed a human side … I thought she did exactly the right thing to protect herself, to protect her teammates and to protect her own mental health.” – Bart Conner, on Simone Biles’ decision to step back from Olympic events because of the “Twisties”
“In the past, if you said you had a mental health problem, you’re ostracized. Now … if it’s acceptable to talk about it, acceptable to seek help, that’s the next path…. the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee has done amazing things. We had two mental health officers that had the same stature as the head team physicians on every meeting … that type of a forefront focus and openness is what we need to do, and with that, athletes will be willing to seek help, and not consider it’s something they need to hide. And with that they will perform better and do better throughout life.” – Dr. Mark Hutchinson, on how medical teams can work to help athletes with their mental health
