The Marketing of Mental Health Services through Sport: A Point–Counterpoint Discussion

Abstract

Within the sport landscape, public mental health disclosures by athletes and supporting activity by sport organizations are increasingly prevalent. Sometimes, these sport entities (e.g., athletes, organizations) have formalized partnerships with mental health companies. Although corporate sponsorships and athlete endorsements are not new topics of inquiry, the stigma around mental health in sport and the potential ethical questions around sport organizations and athletes partnering with for-profit mental health companies lends this type of partnership to a deeper discussion. In this manuscript, we—a sport marketing scholar and a sport mental health and sport sociology scholar—provide a point–counterpoint discussion to explore both sport management and sport sociology theoretical perspectives regarding the commodification of mental health services in the context of sport. Future directions to guide research on mental health sponsorships in sport are discussed.