JOURNAL

 

An open-access journal for research, clinical reflection, and practice-oriented writing about suicide.

UNDERSTANDING SUICIDOLOGY: RESEARCH & PRACTICE  ·  VOLUME 1  ·  ISSUE 6  ·  AUGUST 2026

When Performance Becomes a Public Wager: Athlete Identity, Disclosure, and the New Pressures of Sport

Matias Gay, RN  ·  Understanding Suicidology: Institute for Research and Practice

 

ABSTRACT

Background: Sport can provide meaning, belonging, and structure, yet continued athletic functioning should not be treated as a sufficient indicator of psychological safety. Public visibility, NIL arrangements, and wagering-related harassment have also changed the environment surrounding some athletes. Purpose: This essay examines how established vulnerability processes may be experienced within a changing public field of sport through the Wagered Self framework. Approach: The essay develops a conceptual synthesis across athlete mental-health, perfectionistic self-presentation, athleticidentity, role-transition, social-media, NIL, and wagering-related literature. Argument: Perfectionistic self-evaluation and narrow athletic identity are considered alongside emerging contextual pressures that may increase the perceived costs of error or disclosure for some athletes. The model is interpretive and does not imply direct or linear causation. Implications: Athlete-welfare systems should strengthen credible confidential care pathways, support identity plurality, and examine wagering-related harassment as an emerging welfare concern.

Keywords: athletes; sport; mental health; disclosure; NIL; wagering

Cite as: Gay, M. (2026). When Performance Becomes a Public Wager: Athlete Identity, Disclosure, and the New Pressures of Sport. Understanding Suicidology: Research & Practice, 1(6). https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.24039604

Download the full issue (PDF)  ·  DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.24039604  ·  All issues

Published by Understanding Suicidology: Institute for Research and Practice, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. Open access.