The Loneliest Arena: How High-Performance Sport Can Deepen Isolation
As sport participation advances, the mental stakes increase, with more than half of U.S. college athletes reporting being "very lonely."
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The saying “It’s lonely at the top” rings true for many high-level athletes. Although sports are often seen as a pathway to connection built on camaraderie, the hyper-competitive nature of elite athletics can often be a barrier.
Mental health is a pervasive issue in the sporting world. A 2019 study revealed 35% of Olympic athletes suffered from mental health concerns like disordered eating, burnout, depression, and anxiety. These mental health struggles can be a symptom of loneliness, a subjective and distressing feeling caused by a perceived gap between their desired and actual connections, which is often under-acknowledged in athletes. Research often frames it as social loneliness, the absence of satisfying relationships that meet emotional needs, but the causes of loneliness in sport are multi-layered.
There is evidence that casual and recreational participation in sports can improve social skills and prevent loneliness. But as sport participation advances to higher levels, the stakes increase substantially, intensifying pressure and potentially contributing to a gradual decline in mental health over time.
A recent comprehensive review synthesized data from 194 studies involving 88,516 participants across the global sporting community to understand how loneliness impacts athletes. The majority of the participants (62.55%) came from a single U.S.-based dataset, the National College Health Assessment.
As sport participation advances to higher levels, the stakes increase substantially.
More than half (53.43%) of U.S. college athletes reported feeling “very lonely” at least once. Athletes often face unique stressors that contribute to this loneliness, resulting in serious mental health, motivational, and social consequences. Athletes also faced higher rates of depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, and reduced motivation.
Results indicated that several factors were associated with loneliness among athletes, including strained relationships, social exclusion, self-withdrawal following adverse experiences, reluctance to seek help, living alone, and identity loss after injury. Importantly, the authors emphasized that these individual and interpersonal challenges do not occur in isolation but are shaped by broader cultural and institutional forces within sport. This includes norms that valorize emotional sacrifice and self-reliance, organizational practices that leave athletes feeling unsupported during injury or transition, and structural inequities that marginalize those who do not fit dominant gender, racial, or cultural expectations.
Ultimately, this ties back to pressures to conform to the “sport ethic,” defined as the shared norms and values that shape what it means to be a “real” athlete. These expectations often reinforce emotional suppression through masculine norms and exacerbate social inequalities that increase feelings of loneliness.
Strong interpersonal relationships, open communication, and maintaining social support networks can buffer against loneliness.
The study considered social media as a possible influence on loneliness, but insufficient and inconsistent data prevented clear conclusions about its role as either a risk or protective factor. Yet incidents such as the death threats directed at Ravens kicker Tyler Loop and his wife on Instagram suggest social media may function as a contributing risk factor by amplifying isolation, scrutiny, and emotional distress among athletes.
Though few protective measures were discussed, strong interpersonal relationships, open communication, and maintaining social support networks can buffer against loneliness. Likewise, engaging in hobbies outside of sport and being willing to share struggles with others have shown positive effects. For example, the University of Michigan’s PAWS program offers licensed mental health and performance psychology support to student-athletes, promoting holistic well-being.
Despite the clear prevalence and impact of loneliness, no interventions specifically designed for sport populations have been created, marking a critical gap in research and applied practice. Addressing loneliness requires greater institutional awareness, proactive mental health strategies, and a cultural shift that encourages vulnerability, empathy, and authentic connection within the sporting community.
One possible avenue of achieving institutional change is for schools to change the norms and expectations tied to athletics. In particular, helping student-athletes combat athlete loneliness by fostering connections and identities beyond sport to reduce isolation. Some schools are already involved in changing this narrative. Many schools have been adopting dual-career models, which integrate career, academic, and social development alongside athletic training to prevent over-identification with sports.
