{"id":418971,"date":"2020-02-26T17:20:27","date_gmt":"2020-02-27T00:20:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=418971"},"modified":"2020-02-26T17:20:27","modified_gmt":"2020-02-27T00:20:27","slug":"swim-poll-of-the-week-is-the-usoc-responsible-for-the-mental-health-of-its-athletes-in-light-of-michael-phelps-revelation-of-depression-while-competing-for-the-usa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/swim-poll-of-the-week-is-the-usoc-responsible-for-the-mental-health-of-its-athletes-in-light-of-michael-phelps-revelation-of-depression-while-competing-for-the-usa\/","title":{"rendered":"Swim Poll of the Week: Is the USOC responsible for the mental health of its athletes in light of Michael Phelps’ revelation of depression while competing for the USA?"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is the Swim Poll of the Week for Wednesday February 26, 2020, sponsored by Strechcordz Swim Training Products<\/a>. In our last poll, we wanted to know: Is the USOC responsible for the mental health of its athletes in light of Michael Phelps’ revelation of depression while competing for the USA<\/b>?<\/b><\/p>\n

Michael Phelps<\/a>\u00a0<\/b>recently came forward in an interview with\u00a0Sally Jenkins\u00a0<\/strong>at\u00a0The Washington Post\u00a0<\/em>that he was ignored by the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) when he came forward about his depression and mental health issues that affected him while he was still competing.<\/p>\n

The most decorated Olympian in history points to the dangers of silence when he says: “I was afraid to say something because I thought I couldn’t.”<\/p>\n

In an interview with Sally Jenkins at the Washington Post<\/em><\/a>, Phelps is asked how the USOC leadership responded when he revealed the nature and depth of his struggle. Here is how Jenkins describes what happened next:<\/p>\n

You would like to believe athletes who wear USA on their chests are better cared for these days, after all the ghastly problems. The trouble is, you can’t. Not after you read Dr. William Moreau’s lawsuit accusing U.S. Olympic committee officials of mishandling mental health issues<\/a>. And especially not after you call up Michael Phelps and ask him what the leadership’s response was to his revelation that he suffered from depression while he was winning gold medals. The phone line practically burns up with Phelps’s answer.<\/em><\/p>\n

At first after you pose the question, there is a dead quiet from Phelps. It stretches on and on, until the silence becomes the point. You realize that contained in it is an angry tension like a buzz on the line. Finally, Phelps speaks.<\/em><\/p>\n

“That’s what I got from them,” he says.<\/em><\/p>\n

Nothing.<\/em><\/p>\n

“How long should I stay silent?” he asks. “I can sit here and be silent for as long as you want, because that’s what I got.”<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Is the USOC responsible for the mental health of its athletes in light of Michael Phelps’ revelation of depression while competing for the USA<\/b>?<\/b><\/p>\n

We asked for the swim poll and you answered with\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n