The Athlete Narrative

 Don’t Shame Back: The Importance of the “Golden Rule”                                                                   The “ Golden Rule ” is the simple kindergarten rule:  TREAT OTHERS THE WAY YOU WANT TO BE TREATED. If you are in a situation where you are on the receiving side of body shaming, remember! You do NOT have to shame the other person back. Fighting fire with fire is NOT effective. Another way to think about it: Fighting fire with fire creates more fire, while fighting fire with water will put it out and stop it from spreading. Potential Alternative Solutions: Take a deep breath to calm your nerves and consider your words before you speak. Convey your feelings in an honest way. Ex. “Hey, that’s actually really hurtful. Could you maybe not say that, please?”  Tak...

Types of Body Negativity in Sports: Negativity From Non-Athlete Peers                                         Although any athlete can experience negativity from peers about their bodies, teenage athletes are some of the most vulnerable.  While bodily insecurities are usually dubbed as “part of growing up” for most teenagers, negative comments from peers about their appearances can only make matters worse, and much more serious. Why does this happen? Although there are very few professionally written articles about the topic, here may be several reasons:  Have a lack of interest/understanding of the sport  Harbor Feelings of jealousy (ex. own body image issues, lack of opportunities to play the sport, jealousy towards athlete’s high performance, etc.)  Accidentally say something harmful that they do not intend A concept that both athlete and peer...