Unmuting the Conversation: A Look at Male Mental Health in Sport this Movember

You might remember watching the emotional video released by Norwich City F.C. last year to mark World Mental Health Day on 10 October: “At times, it can be obvious when someone is struggling to cope”, the club stated, “But sometimes, the signs are harder to spot”. Movember, the month-long annual campaign which strives to amplify conversations about male health (including both testicular and prostate cancer, but also mental health) will soon begin. Last year’s viral sporting message, featuring a cheerful Canaries supporter losing a mental health struggle behind the scenes, is something we must continue to bear in mind every year; according to the Office for National Statistics, around three-quarters of UK suicides registered in 2022 were males.

In the typically public and spotlighted world of sport, in which men are traditionally encouraged to bottle up such struggles and project a stoic image, is where we must be most attentive to personal battles our mates may be undergoing. A study by The Conversation this year called for a reimagining of sport ‘to be inclusive, diverse and safe’, in order to cultivate a ‘caring’ type of masculinity. This shift has begun and must now continue; the charity Movember has played a significant role in this positive progression.

The university’s 2023 campaign raised a spectacular total of £38,033, with the largest society donation coming from The University’s Men’s Cricket Club (£5,138.89)

Since Movember’s inception in 2003 in Australia, it has now funded more than 1,320 men’s health projects around the world, and has more than six million so-called ‘Mo Bros’, or donors. The importance of the Movember cause lies in its game-changing capacity to, as the organisation’s slogan reads, ‘change the face of men’s mental health’. In the UK, students across university campuses, from a multitude of sports clubs and societies, join this vital charitable cause each year, resulting in a friendly fundraising rivalry among the UK’s universities. Warwick’s history with Movember is a rich one which is set to be extended this year. The university’s 2023 campaign raised a spectacular total of £38,033, with the largest society donation coming from The University’s Men’s Cricket Club (£5,138.89).

Arguably Movember’s highest-profile outreach to date was its sponsorship of the 2021 Rugby World Cup (held in 2022), an event which elevated the charity’s platform to an international sporting audience. Campaigns like this, including Norwich City’s mental health message last year, are positive signs of Movember’s ever-widening impact.

The recently publicised mental health stories of high-profile sportsmen, like footballers Dele Alli and Richarlison, have likewise proved crucial to peeling back the stigma of men’s mental wellbeing. Richarlison bravely admitted in March that reaching out for therapy may have saved his life.

As Warwick students prepare for a month of fundraising and moustache-cultivating, conversations about men’s mental health must once more occupy the foreground. Several Warwick sports clubs, in continuing an annual initiative, are set to offer their support to Movember this year, so it seems we can expect yet another successful fundraising month.

Chipping in to raise funds for Movember is a laudable thing, but so is the simple act of checking in on our male friends, encouraging vulnerability and openness rather than solitary dejection

Sport is an escape for all of us, as much for those who follow it as those who play – but it’s often those who are struggling silently who adopt this fantasy out of necessity. Chipping in to raise funds for Movember is a laudable thing, but so is the simple act of checking in on our male friends, encouraging vulnerability and openness rather than solitary dejection. Asking a male friend how he’s doing could, ultimately, save his life.

If you’ve been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, charities such as Mind and Samaritans are places you can turn to for support.