Mind Game: An Inside Look at the Mental Health Playbook of Elite Athletes

Author:   Julie Kliegman
Publisher:   Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
ISBN:  

9798216378051


Pages:   272
Publication Date:   16 October 2025
Format:   Paperback
Availability:   Not yet available   Availability explained
This item is yet to be released. You can pre-order this item and we will dispatch it to you upon its release.

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Mind Game: An Inside Look at the Mental Health Playbook of Elite Athletes


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Full Product Details

Author:   Julie Kliegman
Publisher:   Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Imprint:   Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
ISBN:  

9798216378051


Pages:   272
Publication Date:   16 October 2025
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Not yet available   Availability explained
This item is yet to be released. You can pre-order this item and we will dispatch it to you upon its release.

Table of Contents

Foreword Introduction: Learning From Our Idols PART I: Eyes on the Prize: How Mental Performance Shapes Athletes Chapter 1: Mentally Tough: The Stereotypes Athletes Fight Chapter 2: Looking Back: A History of Sport Psychology Chapter 3: Science and Practice: What Mental Performance Coaches Actually Do PART II: The Megaphone: Speaking Out About Mental Illness Chapter 4: The Firsts: Trailblazers Who Came Forward Chapter 5: Open the Floodgates: More Athletes Join the Cause Chapter 6: The Greats Chime In: Anxiety and Depression Amid a Pandemic Chapter 7: On Campus: The Push for Better Care at Colleges PART III: The Diagnosis: Coping With What You’ve Got Chapter 8: Substance Use: From Alcohol and Cannabis to Psychedelics Chapter 9: Body Image: Eating Disorders in Professional Athletes Chapter 10: Life Out of the Game: Injury, Absence, and Retirement Conclusion: So What’s Next? Acknowledgements Bibliography About the Author

Reviews

Kliegman has succeeded in writing a book that is engaging but at the same time important. * Sports Illustrated * The focus of [Kliegman's] book, Mind Game, is on how athletes work on mental performance and the growing acceptance towards acknowledging their mental health struggles. She documents the stories of trailblazers in this area like professional basketball player Royce White, tennis star Naomi Osaka, and Olympic gymnast Simone Biles.... Mind Game is an enlightening read for not only policymakers, but also parents of athletes. They usually go on this complex journey through elite sports with their children and this book offers insight that may be useful as their children develop as young people and athletes. * Nathan's Papers: Books for CONGRESS * At a time when sports have (finally) come to appreciate the importance of mental health and clarity, here comes Julie Kliegman with an extraordinary examination of the topic. Thorough, empathetic, and relevant, Mind Game helps us understand elite athletes—while packing practical applications that extend way beyond sports. -- L. Jon Wertheim, New York Times bestselling author of This is Your Brain on Sports Mind Game is an important read for anyone undergoing any level of mental challenge in their life or those who want to better understand the importance of mental health in sports or everyday life. Julie Kliegman is very thorough in telling the stories of elite athletes and outlining methods that can lead to overcoming mental obstacles that lead to a more peaceful and fulfilling life. -- Mardy Fish, former professional tennis player Thanks to the openness of professional and Olympic athletes such as Simone Biles, Michael Phelps, Naomi Osaka, Kevin Durant, and many others, we are learning about the mental-health challenges of some of the world’s best athletes who previously seemed invincible. Sports journalist Julie Kliegman describes the relevant research and shares compelling and sometimes painful stories of the struggles with which many top athletes have been confronted. Mind Game sends a powerful message to athletes of all ages and abilities (as well as to parents and coaches) to prioritize mental health over performance and results, and, more importantly, to seek professional help when needed. -- Jim Taylor, Ph.D., author of Train Your Mind for Athletic Success and Raising Young Athletes Julie Kliegman’s Mind Game is a vulnerable, visceral, and essential volume examining how elite athletes handle mental health and mental illness. Kliegman writes with biting clarity that is at times funny and at others devastating. This book is a fearless look at a topic that is at once ubiquitous while also completely ignored. Absolutely essential reading. -- Katie Barnes, author of Fair Play: How Sports Shape the Gender Debates


Author Information

Julie Kliegman has been copy chief at Sports Illustrated, copy editor at The Ringer, weekend editor at The Week, and news fellow at BuzzFeed. Their writing has appeared in Sports Illustrated, the Washington Post, The Ringer, Vulture, BuzzFeed, Vox, The Verge, Bustle, Washington Monthly, The Week, and more. Kliegman is a frequent guest on radio and podcasts. They live in Queens, New York.

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