Skip to content

There’s a Mental Health Crisis in Women’s Sports. How Do We Solve It?

Youth Sports Mental Health & Awareness Logo

A former track and field and cross-country athlete at the University of Oregon co-wrote a forthcoming book that gets to the heart of this crisis—and why we should be hopeful about the future.

Katie Steele’s hands still sweat when she talks about what happened to her as a track and cross-country athlete at the University of Oregon nearly two decades ago.

But that’s one thing what she wants people to know about the mental health crisis in women’s sport—trauma can have an impact on athletes months and years after an acute crisis.

“Things just don’t end when you hang up your cleats or your suit,” she said in a phone interview with Runner’s World.