Green Bandana Project sparks mental health awareness

The bright flash of green and the bag tags on student-athlete backpacks aren’t just a fashion trend. They are symbols to raise awareness for mental health, especially among athletes.

The Green Bandana Project was started 10 years ago by Betsy Gerbec, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls after her son Daniel died by suicide. Daniel usually wore a bandana, which became the symbol of the initiative. The color bright green symbolizes mental health awareness. 

Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) Co-President Jade Jackson said every student-athlete at Minnesota State receives a green bandana which student-athletes are required to make visible anywhere on their bags. Student-athletes are also given a bag tag with numbers for the National Suicide Hotline and other mental health resources, both on-campus and off.

Jackson said throughout the year, all athletic teams participate in one “green bandana” game where fans wear green in support. 

“This year, the soccer team is doing green pre-wrap with the visiting teams to show support,” Jackson said. 

Jackson said the symbol of the green bandana shows mental health impacts everyone, including athletes who are sometimes seen as student leaders. 

“I think it’s so important to have that reminder that not only you’re being an advocate for others to come up and ask you questions and being an advocate for others for mental health, but being an advocate for yourself and saying ‘Hey, I can take some time to myself,’” Jackson said. 

Grad Student and MSU football team member Tony Anger said mental health affects students on and off the field. 

“A lot of your mental health comes from your game performance and that can take a lot on you. Mix it with poor academic performance and then it can start piling on real fast,” Anger said. “Making sure you’re staying on top of your mental health and not having your identity surrounded around your sport is something really important when it comes to athletics.”

Senior Abby Gronholz is a part of the Women’s Swimming and Diving team. She said mental health is like a muscle that needs to build up strength over time. 

“It’s a big jump from being a high school athlete to a collegiate athlete. You’re battling being a student and working towards what you are going to do the rest of your life and then doing something you’re passionate about,” Gronholz said. “I’ve been surrounded by a lot of great resources on campus and I’m thankful for that.”

Anger said while there’s a stigma around men not talking about their mental health, he said administrators and Football Coach Todd Hoffner have been helpful in promoting mental health resources.

“If you need help, (Hoffner) is going to tell you to get help and he’ll be the first person to reach out to you and ask you if you’re doing okay,” Anger said. “Having those leaders in your life that are promoting looking after mental health just as you would your physical health is really good for us.”

Gronholz said the project helps build a community while destigmatizing the idea of athletes being tough, similar to the idea men don’t cry. 

“I think the program is just trying to let athletes not feel so alone about their mental health if they are struggling and letting them feel comfortable in reaching out when they feel like they need help,” Gronholz said. “It’s normal to struggle.”

When it comes to athletes talking about their mental health, Anger said it’s especially important as student-athletes can be seen as leaders and people students look up to.

“If you’re having those thoughts like you’re not good enough or you’re better off not here, then it’s hard to express that to people because you’re supposed to be strong. You’re supposed to be this individual striving to be the best,” Anger said. “People don’t want to show that because of the way they think they’ll be perceived, so they put on a facade of strength to make themselves look stronger than they may feel.”

While the Green Bandana Project originally started for student-athletes, Jackson said she’d like to see the project expand to the general student population. She said it’s not student-athletes who experience burnout — it’s all students and faculty. 

“It’s so much more inclusive when we can involve the whole student population,” Jackson said. “We want to make this easily accessible to others and we want others to feel they can make a change as well.”

Jackson said students should consider joining the project as it opens up the conversation and shows other Mavericks people are there for them.

“Everyone needs to make sure their mental health is good and you have no idea how many people deal with it,” Jackson said. “Joining it is just another symbol of saying ‘Hey, I’m here for you when you need me.’”

Anger said he thought of one question when he joined the project.

“‘Would I want my friends to reach out to me if they wanted help?’ and the answer is immediately a ‘yes,’” he said. “If I save one of my friends’ lives or make them feel more comfortable and safe than their own being, then it’s worth it.”

Write to emma.johnson.5@mnsu.edu