A Season In Review: Kevin Love changed how we view mental health

Cleveland Cavaliers All-Star Kevin Love showed us what real toughness is.

Athletes are our modern-day gladiators, our reality television without the Kardashians. Cleveland Cavaliers big man Kevin Love, a five-time All-Star, lived that.

He also showed us that, as people, it wears on them.

We have come to view basketball players through this filter, as actors in a play. We love to hate our Draymond Green-type players and we root for the LeBron James’ of the NBA. It’s all one big show, and we’re just along for the ride.

It’s a fault of our generation. We’re so connected to the action that’s happening on the court, and the reality distortion that is social media off the court, that we lose sight of who the athlete really is.

The NBA arguably brings the fans closer to the action than any of the other major professional sports leagues.

The games very nature reeks of accessibility. Fans can “sit on the floor.” Players spend more time on Twitter than they do on the court. We’re so close to the action that we can literally reach out and touch it.

The glitz and glamour of a pro athlete is everywhere. We follow every lavish vacation on Instagram. We watch them in movies. We buy the clothes they wear, and we drool over their cars and houses.

But, buried under an ocean deep pile of Instagram posts, tweets and memes lies a real breathing person.

And, as Love showed us in a touching article in The Players Tribune, the lives we believe athletes lead are, in many ways, similar to our own.

“I knew something was wrong almost right after tip-off.”

On November 5th, 2017, Kevin suffered his first panic attack. Like many people who have their first panic attack, Love was not fully aware of what was happening to him.

However, unlike most people, Love’s first panic attack occurred in front of twenty thousand fans, dozens of TV cameras and a media that had been hounding the LeBron James-led Cavaliers.

As is the case with many that suffer from mental ailments, Love was petrified of anyone finding out. In a league that covets mental toughness, an admission of weakness was sure to result in ridicule.

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For a player that has suffered through three concussions, a fractured hand, and a dislocated shoulder, anxiety appeared to be just another ailment.

“What are my problems? I’m healthy. I play basketball for a living. What do I have to worry about? “

Despite performing well over the next few games, Kevin’s panic attack still nagged at him.

He wondered what would bring about such a strong emotional response? He generally considered his life relatively carefree. But as anyone with a mental illness can attest, anxiety does not care about what lifestyle you live, nor does it care how much money you make.

Anxiety is a sickness, and like the monster in every horror movie, there is no escaping it.

Love’s admission to seeking therapy, and dealing with extreme anxiety, has resonated among thousands of fans.

In a league that prides itself on fan interaction, Love’s article “Everyone Is Going Through Something,” brought NBA fans even closer to the players. However, this time, it didn’t show us as much about the players as it did about ourselves.

The article stands as a reminder in our social media-obsessed era, that, no matter what, things aren’t what they seem. We learned that it’s normal to have issues, that life isn’t what we see in smiling pictures on Instagram.

Life is work, self-awareness and progression.

We don’t have to suffer.

Next: Cleveland Cavaliers: Top 30 all-time greatest players

Most importantly, we can help ourselves.