Much of the outside focus on the NFL has been on how players and coaches are handling the behavioral changes the league imposed in hopes of mitigating spread of the virus. But equally important -- though most times overlooked by the public -- is the impact the pandemic is having on the mental health of the wives and significant others.
In September, The Journal of the American Medical Association Network Open
published a survey that found depression symptoms had more than tripled during the pandemic, climbing from 8.5 percent before COVID-19 to 27.8 percent during the pandemic. It's unknown whether any of the slightly more than 6,500 adult participants were wives or live-in partners of NFL players, but it would not come as surprise if that were the case, considering sport is often a microcosm of society.
For many of these women, the stresses and pressures they feel are similar to what people across the country are experiencing during the pandemic: the need to limit exposure to outside sources, the demands of homeschooling young children, the sense of longing from being separated from extended family. And yet, their situations are relatively unique because how they handle the pandemic could have consequences far beyond their own household. Any lapse in judgment could potentially jeopardize not only the livelihood of their spouses, but also the livelihood of teammates, coaches and club employees if the league is forced to cancel games or shut down the season, possibilities that could have an impact beyond the 2020 campaign. That reality weighs on them.