Sports journalist Taylor Rooks is widely respected throughout the sports industry for providing valuable insight as an NBA and NFL broadcaster. Now that she has some skin in the game, she’s adding some new titles to her repertoire, including a new podcast. two personal Will host Season 2 of LG alongside her friend and co-host Joy Taylor transparent conversation. The latter is a traveling podcast series in partnership with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA®) that “focuses on collegiate-level student-athletes discussing mental health and wellness.”
Rooks, a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, will use his experience to connect with guests and talk about the experience of being a college athlete. In each episode of transparent conversationshe visits various college campuses to discuss mental health as it relates to the world of college athletes.
“When I heard about it, transparent conversationIt really resonated with me because that’s what I’m trying to do in my career and in real life. I believe that the basis of everything is communication. And if only we could all be honest about ourselves and our experiences and feel like our words were reaching a safe place with people who genuinely care and want to know more and help. They can do that, and that to me is transparency,” Rooks told the ESSENCE podcast. “Even though I’m vulnerable, I feel like I can talk openly about what’s really important in my life and maybe what I’m struggling with in my life. It’s just growing when I hear that they want to be able to have those kinds of discussions on college campuses with young student-athletes who are really trying to figure things out beyond the pressures of friends and stuff like that. It just felt right and it felt really important and what I was really called to do.”
The Rooks have already joined forces with NBA All-Star and head coach of the Fisk University men’s basketball team Kenny Anderson, two-time NBA All-Star and Vanderbilt University head coach Jerry Stackhouse, and current college players. I am holding a dialogue with them at the university.
In fostering these intergenerational conversations, LG works with advocates, administrators, coaches, and student-athletes to discuss the work-life balance that comes with the student-athlete world. Just last month, Rooks visited her NCAA Final Four, which focused on the role coaches play in student-athlete mental health and the importance of collaboration in implementing effective mental health initiatives. We shot two new episodes.
She says she learned a lot from the experience, but what really stuck with Rooks was her interaction with Arizona State head coach Bobby Hurley. There, the two discussed the role of coaches in players’ mental health on and off the court. “We understand how coaches can impact the mental health of student-athletes, both positively and negatively, and how they want to make sure they are always doing the right thing. It was very insightful to hear that deep recognition,” Lukes explains. She said, “More than winning or losing, it was more about, ‘Are the student-athletes OK? Am I doing what I can to support them?'”
The NBA host went on to talk about how many schools are beefing up their athletic staffs and expanding sports teams to mental health professionals instead of just coaches and trainers. Ta. “It’s really amazing and great to see schools taking proactive steps to make their athletes feel supported. Sports psychologists, mental fitness coaches, mental trainers in practice There are a lot of companies out there that have people called, and their whole job is to make you feel supported,” Lukes continues.
And since sports have become the primary identity for many student-athletes, these professionals not only keep players mentally and physically healthy to perform on the court, but also to keep them healthy after graduation. We also support the transition from sports. Drawing from my own experiences as a college athlete, I focused on the paradigm shift in my own life and how I had to rediscover my identity away from sports. Because life doesn’t always have the same outlook that can be quantified into victories and victories. loss. “It’s great that mental health is being talked about so loudly and proudly and to our faces and that athletes realize that they are more than champions and winners or people who play soccer or basketball or just soccer. It’s great to be made to do.” Some of them are. That’s the important part. But that’s not all. ”
When Lukes turned the tables on me, she asked: Did she turn to therapy or introspection? ” In response to Rooks’ question, I said that while therapy played an important role in my journey, it was ultimately a commitment to self-reflection and personal growth that helped me navigate the complexities of mental health post-college. I would like to share what has paved the way for me to overcome this. She complimented me like that and admitted that life after sports is a tough journey. “Especially when you’ve been seen as one thing for so long in your life. That’s what I hear a lot of athletes talking about in both countries. transparent conversationbut even just in the current conversation [with] We also talk about today’s athletes, the issues they have with identity, and how they struggle with that. ”
As a Black woman in sports, Rooks is excited about the sudden increase in interest in women’s sports, namely basketball, but she also wonders if a much-needed audit of what it took to get to this point. I also believe that it will be done. “I think what is really being lost is that we are thankfully in this moment because of the many moments that came before it. I think it’s a validation of everyone, the athletes, the fans in the media, how everyone has contributed to this very positive moment that we’re seeing right now, and I hope it lasts forever. We’ll also explain why it’s taken so long and how we’ve contributed so we can continue to see the game really grow. Because you can.”
She is a passionate advocate for changing the narrative surrounding women’s sports, encouraging a deeper exploration of women’s individual stories and achievements. “I want to continue to see women’s sports grow because of who they are. teeth, it’s not just that they’re women. I think that was the problem,” she asserts. This sentiment echoes sports commentator Emmanuel Acho’s recent criticism of LSU standout WNBA player Angel Reese.
As Rooks emphasizes, “For me personally, the media has continued to only talk about female athletes in terms of the scope and perspective of the fact that they are women, without actually telling the story.”
According to Rooks, to see women’s sports truly reach its pinnacle, the narrative needs to change. Fostering much-needed conversation and storytelling with the help of podcasts could also benefit the future of next-gen gaming. “transparent conversation We center their humanity and we center their experiences. And for me, that’s how you grow your game. Because what you’re doing is developing the athlete. ”
