Eating Disorders, College Athletics, & How To *Actually* Be Strong

[Listen to an audio version of this blog here.]

I just need to get something off my chest.

I started my blog almost three years ago, as a way to share information about eating disorders because I suffered from one for years. I suffered in silence, and writing was an easy way to tell people about my deepest, darkest shames. I’ve written about starving myself, binging and purging, relapsing, therapy, recovering, and the people who helped me shed my eating disorder and live a happy, fulfilling life. I’ve also written about the people who worsened my eating disorder, who manipulated me and threatened me and bullied me. Knowing what I know now, I can’t imagine ever caring about those people, or about what they think. The Sarah of a decade ago wasn’t as wise or empowered as the Sarah of today. She didn’t know any better, and I have an enormous amount of empathy for the younger version of me.

The empathy I have for the younger version of me is one of the largest reasons I haven’t stopped talking about eating disorders, and why I’m not shy about addressing the dark underbelly of collegiate athletics (read more about that here). There is a cultural problem in University athletics that runs deeper than any one coach or program, and that problem is this: young people who are still developing…