As a former college athlete, I grew up in a space that told us to "suck it up." Pressure, doubt & personal struggles were things we all carried quietly, whether it was related to our sport or not, because that's what “mentally strong” looked like.

Since graduating and moving into a different stage of life, I've learned the opposite is true. Being open about my own struggles with the people closest to me has helped me, and it's helped many of them too. Talking about it is strength, not weakness.

I'm still trying to push myself and do things that challenge my competitive side. That said, I’m running the UW Seattle Marathon on November 29th and have decided to raise funds for The Hidden Opponent, a charity supporting the mental health of college athletes.

Our college years are formative, and the pressure of being a student athlete is enormous, yet I never had resources that supported that. This is just as much about wanting to reach the past athletes who were raised with that same "suck it up" mentality and break the stigma around mental health for that community as well. College athletics is such a huge part of our personality and that carries far beyond college years.

If you've ever been part of a team, a sport or loved someone who has, please consider donating.

-Matt

(More about the charity and some of their work below)

https://www.thehiddenopponent.org/about

Your contributions will directly impact the lives of student-athletes in meaningful ways, such as: