A national title was won last week...and another chapter quietly began.
As the town celebrated, my thoughts immediately turned to the players. I think about the athletes who just played their final game. I think about those who dream of the NFL, knowing only 1.6% of NCAA football players will make it to the professional level.
I moved to Bozeman, MT, this past September.
A historic town nestled in a canyon of the Rocky Mountains, where the Wild West still echoes and adventurers arrive year-round for hiking, skiing, and the pull of Yellowstone just 90 minutes away.
It’s also a college town. Home to Montana State University.
Last Monday night, the town was electric as the Montana State Bobcats clinched their first national football title since 1984, an overtime win that will be remembered for generations.
That night, I was working as a hospital chaplain. When around 9pm, I heard a sudden scream echo down the hallway. I responded instinctively, only to find a few staff members watching the game in the break room. I joined them just in time to witness one of the most thrilling college football endings I’ve ever seen.
As the town celebrated, my thoughts immediately turned to the players.
I think about the athletes who just played their final game.
I think about those who dream of the NFL, knowing only 1.6% of NCAA football players will make it to the professional level.
I think about the emotional high of reaching the pinnacle, followed by what many experience next: post-competition blues.
I think about them returning to a dorm room alone after weeks of celebration, media appearances, and being seen primarily for performance. Olympian Lydia Jacoby in 2024, spoke about navigating mental health challenges, loss of routine, and trust after the Paris Olympics.
The emotional low that follows an emotional high can be disorienting and especially for high-performing athletes whose identity has been shaped by sport.
So how do we help them?
Where is the bridge that helps an athlete walk from one season of life into the next?
Because I think about these athletes often.
That’s why I created Inward Athlete and the Inward Athlete Journal, to support athletes not just in who they perform as, but in who they are becoming when the season ends.
Congratulations to the Bobcats! May you nurture this win and at the same time, take steps forward on what comes next for your journey ahead.