This homesick football player cried on air. It sparked a conversation about masculinity.

USA Today

2 days ago

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A University of Nebraska freshman punter's first media appearance quickly went viral – not for what he said about football, but for an emotional moment about his life off the field.
When asked about being away from home during the Aug. 12 press conference, 19-year-old Archie Wilson shared a candid response about how being far from his family has impacted him.
"Yeah, that part's hard, I'm sorry," Wilson said before breaking down in tears and placing his head on the table.
Wilson is from Frankston South in Victoria, Australia – making his family 15 hours ahead of his location in Lincoln, Nebraska.
"I love them a lot. I got two little brothers, and my mom and dad. That's the tough part about being here. I love them a lot and I miss them."
The heartwarming moment opened up a conversation around masculinity and emotion online. Mental health experts say it's crucial for young boys and men to understand the importance of showing emotion, which can contribute to building long-lasting relationships and overall mental wellness.
Popular figures like athletes and celebrities help fill the space of role models at an age when boys are highly impressionable, according to Sheldon Jacobs, a licensed therapist who serves on the National Alliance on Mental Illness Board of Directors.
"Any display of emotion, especially for men, it challenges the traditional stereotypes of masculinity, which often discourages men from, unfortunately, opening up and expressing their feelings," Sheldon says.
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Wilson's moment hit sports accounts on X and Instagram, where viewers flooded the comment sections with support. "Today" co-host Jenna Bush Hager featured it on Aug. 13 as her "Morning Boost" segment, where she shared that she plans to show the clip to her 6-year-old son.
Wilson, who never played an organized game of football, impressed the Huskers coach with his rugby background and strong kicks. He'll play his first game for Nebraska on Aug. 28 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. He shared during the press conference that his family is visiting Lincoln in September to watch him play his first home games of the season.
Wilson's openness is part of a wider trend of male sports figures and celebrities opening up about emotion in recent years, according to Ronald Levant, a professor emeritus of psychology at The University of Akron and co-author of "The Problem with Men: Insights on Overcoming a Traumatic Childhood from a World-Renowned Psychologist."
Last March, an emotional Jason Kelce made waves with his announcement that he was retiring following 13 seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles. In videos from the news conference, Kelce let his emotion show while his brother Travis Kelce, who stars in GQ Magazine's September issue, also wiped away tears.
In April, Justin Bieber posted a series of photos on Instagram from a performance that included selfies with tears streaming down his face. And Baddy Bunny went viral after posting a teary-eyed video on TikTok over his song "DTMF" in appreciation of fans' response to his album.
"It does give young men permission to say, 'It's OK not be OK. It's OK to struggle, you know, because I'm not alone in this,'" Jacobs says.
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Gender norms around emotion are changing – and experts say that's a good thing.
Levant said younger men are reacting against the strictures of traditional masculinity, the most notable of which is crying.
"That's kind of the No. 1 rule. If you're a boy, you get punished for crying; you're told, 'Boys don't cry,'" Levant says.
Still, young men are growing up during a male loneliness epidemic. In a 2021 survey by the Survey Center on American Life, only 1 in 5 men said they received emotional support from a friend within the past week, compared with 4 in 10 of women. And half as many men as women told a friend they loved them within the past week.
Experts say being more open about emotion can contribute to solutions.
"It's really, really impactful for young men," Jacobs says. "Historically, cultural norms have discouraged men… to show vulnerability, which perpetuates that stigma around mental health."Rachel Hale's role covering Youth Mental Health at USA TODAY is supported by a partnership with Pivotal and Journalism Funding Partners. Funders do not provide editorial input. Reach her at [e-mail] and @rachelleighhale on X.