Over 150 Top Athletes and Organisations Join Mission to Tackle Harmful Language in Media
With Mental Health Awareness Week underway, over 150 athletes, organisations and media professionals have pledged their support for Mad Headlines, a new campaign by the UK’s leading mental health sports charity Sport in Mind. The campaign is calling on the media to stop using stigmatising language in sports media. Signatories include high-profile names such as Anton Ferdinand, Marvin Sordell, and Sir Steve Redgrave, as well as major organisations like Sport England, Mind and C.A.L.M. Journalists from Sky Sports, Copa90, and Channel 4 have also pledged their support.
This has never been more necessary, after a 12-month analysis of sports media examined 10 million words and uncovered:
- Harmful mental health language appeared in 1 in every 20 words
- 11% of headlines used stigmatising terms
Headlines are the biggest culprits. They frequently frame players as ‘crazy’, ‘mad’ or ‘insane’ – language that not only misrepresents reality but also reinforces damaging stereotypes. Other terms like ‘psycho’, ‘addicted’ or ‘mental’ were found to be far more common in sports media than in general public conversation.
Sport in Mind’s latest research shows just how damaging this language can be:
- 91% of people living with mental health challenges feel negatively impacted by harmful media language
- With 1 in 4 people in the UK likely to experience mental health problems this year, the media’s influence matters
Former professional footballer, Anton Ferdinand, and ex- Watford striker, Marvin Sordell are among those backing the Mad Headlines campaign, drawing on their own experiences to advocate for change.
Anton Ferdinand said: “I’ve been on the receiving end of damaging headlines. It doesn’t just sting in the moment – it stays with you. It shapes how people see you, how you see yourself and whether you feel safe asking for help. That’s why I’m backing Sport in Mind’s Mad Headlines campaign. We need to change the language – for the players, for the fans, for anyone who’s struggling. I’ve signed the pledge, and I hope others in sport will too.”
Marvin Sordell said: “I know how damaging careless language can be – not just for players, but for anyone watching who’s struggling. You’ll hear it in commentary or read it in the papers… ‘he’s having a meltdown’, ‘they’ve lost the plot’. If you’re someone dealing with anxiety, depression or any mental health issue, those words hit different. They reinforce shame when we should be encouraging people to speak up. We’ve got a real opportunity to change the conversation and build a culture where people feel supported.”
Sport in Mind has supported more than 31,000 people through its mental health and sport programmes. CEO Neil Harris said: “As an organisation that meets thousands of people experiencing mental health issues at our free sports sessions every single day, we know that words like ‘crazy’ and ‘mad’ fuel stigma that stops people asking for help. Sports media plays a huge role in shaping culture – and with that comes responsibility. Mad Headlines isn’t about pointing fingers – it’s about education and accountability, because words don’t just stay on a page – they affect real people’s mental health.
We hope that the media, and anybody using their platform to reach a public audience, will take this opportunity to sign our pledge to be more mindful of the language they use. By setting a benchmark for future reporting, we hope to create long-lasting change in how mental health is portrayed in sport.”
For more information on the campaign and to sign the Mad Headlines pledge, please visit: sportinmind.org/mad-headlines
Here is a short video about how Sport in Mind is transforming the nation’s mental health through sport.