Documentary ‘After The Roar’ Looks At Men’s Mental Health Post Sports Retirement

UK broadcaster, BT Sport premiered after the roar on September 9, 2022, looking at the mental health issues former elite athletes face after retiring. Numerous professional athletes have described post-retirement life as making a drastic difference to their playing careers.

The documentary stars former Leinster, Ireland and Lions rugby captain Brian O’Driscoll as he reflects on his playing career of 15 years, as well as other players. they look at the health challenges posed after competingas well as the likely reduction in profits, attention and competitive pressure.

“When I retired, I was faced with one of the biggest challenges I had ever faced: life after sports,” O’Driscoll said.

“From the outside, my retirement may have seemed easy, but the truth is that I had my own battles. I don’t think I’m alone and I’m very interested in better understanding the impact retirement has on former athletes, and athletes in particular.”

“In the UK and Ireland of the 21st century, the biggest killer of men under 50 is suicide. There is a crisis in men’s mental health and, for many former athletes, a stigma associated with showing vulnerability.”

Various stars from various sports are featured throughout the piece, including England men’s national soccer team manager Gareth Southgate, former Australia rugby team coach Michael Cheika, champion jockey A. P. McCoy, boxer and Team GB Olympic medalist Anthony Ogogo, and England. international cricketer Jonny Bairstow.

Author and psychotherapist Richie Sadlier appears alongside O’Driscoll in the document. Sadlier used to play professional football for the British football club Millwall. He made his international debut for Ireland in 2002 when a serious hip injury forced him to retire.

Zeeshan Saeed, chairman and co-founder of FSD Pharma Inc., said the topic has been left painfully unexplored for too long.

“Mental health is a vital element in everything we do at FSD. There is a big problem with mental health that has been increasingly recognized in recent years, unfortunately sometimes through tragic stories. A documentary that explains the feelings and setting for an audience is very important.”

He continued: “Sometimes these issues cause chemical imbalances that can be acutely resolved through medication and therapy or one or the other. Ultimately, the most important thing is that we recognize that this is a problem and that as a society we should be focused on fixing it.”

FSD’s subsidiary, Lucid Psycheceuticals Inc., focuses on the research and development of its lead compounds, Lucid-Psych and Lucid-MS. Lucid-Psych is a molecular compound identified for the potential treatment of mental health disorders. Lucid-MS is a molecular compound identified for the potential treatment of neurodegenerative disorders. Major depressive disorders are their core area of ​​focus with the goal of bringing products to market without unpleasant side effects.

Major depressive disorder, a frequently drug-resistant condition, It affects about 17 million people in North America alone.. FSD’s work has been published in leading medical journals such as the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry and The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Saeed continued: “It’s not just the athletes. This is a widespread problem that many in the scientific community are trying to address. It also affects military that likewise, they are mentally and physically trained, but not emotionally trained to deal with the post-fight cessation of action.”

The film is a co-production between BT Sport Films and 3 Rock Productions. Executive producers are Sally Brown (BT Sport), as well as Craig Doyle and Keith Doyle (3 Rock Productions), with Theo Lee-Ray, Isobel Williams and Mark Sharman on the producing and directing team at BT Sport Films.

Craig Doyle said: “I have spent the last two decades working alongside some of the best athletes in the world and I have seen how, despite their successes, their Mental health can be just as fragile as anyone else’s.. I wanted to explore this topic in a documentary and seeing an idea turn into this powerful and insightful BT sports film is truly rewarding.”

“When Brian agreed to see a therapist as the backbone of the film, we knew we had something very special. Brian and everyone he talked to helped break the taboo of men talking about his feelings, which is so important. The BT Sport Films team of Isobel Williams, Theo Lee Ray and Mark Sharman deeply understood the issues and told the stories sensitively, creating an incredibly powerful film. We are very proud of the creative partnership with BT Sport Films.”