Boston Red Sox: Recognizing the All Star beyond the athlete

With only two players selected from the Boston Red Sox to represent the ‘dirty water’ at the 2022 MLB All-Star Game in Los Angeles, California, many players have taken this break and used it for themselves.

Although many players dream of being picked for the All-Star game, wearing an American or National League jersey, and playing amongst the best players in Major League Baseball, some appreciate the break and time spent with family and friends.

During this week-long break, the players who are not involved in the Homerun Derby or the All-Star game are recommended to catch up on sleep and certain nutritional aspects of their diet in order to finish off the rest of their 162-game season.

While many players appreciate the short summer vacation they receive, is the Major League Baseball Player’s Association putting their players first or just the dollar sign that comes with them?

With Boston Red Sox fans preparing to watch the 2022 All-Star game, supporting Rafael Devers and Xander Bogaerts, some fans wonder what the rest of the Red Sox 40-man roster is doing with their free time.

Although fans have not been able to see Bogaerts out and about in the City of Boston during this break, since this is his third year in a row and fourth year in total participating in the All-Star game, Boston sports fanatics will wait patiently outside Fenway Park to see every other player coming in and out from workouts or necessary appointments just to receive an autograph or to say they saw a professional athlete.

However, when is enough, enough? When given a week off in the middle of your season, you want to do everything you can for the people around you and your team, and this is when things become sticky not only for the player but also for the entire organization.

Boston Red Sox: The importance of mental health in MLB

I claim that things can become sticky because this is when something can become too much for an athlete. Many fans will argue that because these athletes are getting paid millions of dollars that they should be able to handle all of the emotions that come with playing a professional sport; however, does anyone ever think about the young athlete that fell in love with the game that brought them to the professional stage, and how they are doing, feeling, and thinking now?

Do teams acknowledge when players need a mental health day, or do players go out and play with a smile on their face no matter their internal battles.

Although the Boston Red Sox and all organizations within every professional sport claim that their players are healthy and happy and can not wait to get back into playing after taking the All-Star break, how true is that statement?

Major League Baseball likes to acknowledge all of the players selected for the All-Star game for their talent; however, it is never the person they are on and off the field.

Look at Drew Robinson, the professional baseball player who shot himself in the head and survived. I reference Robinson not because of his talent or because I am going to the extreme with how the Player’s Association is handling their players but because I am not sure many people know who he is or his story in general.

Robinson sat alone in his house, waiting multiple hours before calling 911 to receive help, knowing that he had a loving family and friends only a phone call away who would be there with him through it all ; however, after dealing with the highs and lows of a professional career, primarily through a global pandemic, Robinson felt as if he were better off dead than seen at a ballpark.

Now obviously, I know people will claim if you do not ask for help, then how does anyone know that you are struggling, but it is not about asking for help; it is about having the necessary outlets and resources that allow a person to feel safe and welcomed in an environment.

Drew Robinson is now changing the major leagues for the better and has become a mental health advocate for his previous team, the San Fransisco Giants, providing athletes and the thousands of people who watch this sport an outlet.

That is someone I would consider an All-Star.