The first media appearance of the University of Nebraska freshman punters was quickly circulated through word of mouth. Not for what he said about football, but for emotional moments about his life from the field.
When asked about leaving home at an August 12 press conference, 19-year-old Archie Wilson shared a candid reaction to how far she affected him from his family.
“Yeah, that part is tough, sorry,” Wilson said before she shed tears and placing her head on the table.
Wilson is originally from Frankston South, Victoria, Australia, and has founded a family 15 hours ahead of his Lincoln, Nebraska location.
“I love them so much. I have two brothers and my mother and dad. That’s the hard part of being here. I love them so much and I miss them.”
Heartwarming moments opened conversations online about masculinity and emotions. Mental health experts say it is important for young boys and men to understand the importance of showing emotions, which can contribute to long-term relationships and overall mental health.
Popular figures like athletes and celebrities can help boys fill the space for role models at a very impressive age, according to Sheldon Jacobs, a licensed therapist working for the National Alliance on boards of mental illness.
“For men, the display of emotions challenges traditional stereotypes of masculinity, which unfortunately can often be remembered from the openness of men expressing their emotions,” Sheldon says.
The idea that “boys don’t cry” is outdated
Wilson’s moment hit sports accounts on X and Instagram, with viewers killing support in the comments section. “Today” co-host Jenna Bush Hager featured it on August 13th as a “Morning Boost” segment. There, she shared that she plans to show her 6-year-old son the clip.
Unable to play an organized football match, Wilson impressed the Huskers coach with his rugby background and strong kicks. He will play Nebraska’s first game at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City on August 28th. He shared at a press conference that his family would visit Lincoln in September to watch him play his first home game of the season.
According to Ronald Levant, professor emeritus of psychology at the University of Akron and co-author of “Co-author of Problems with Men,” Wilson’s openness is part of a broader trend to reveal the emotions of male sports figures and celebrities.
Last March, the emotional Jason Kelse made waves with the announcement that he had retired after 13 seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles. In the press conference video, Kelse showed his feelings, but his brother Travis Kelse, who appears in the September issue of GQ Magazine, wiped out tears.
In April, Justin Bieber posted a series of photos on Instagram from a performance that included a selfie with tears flowing through his face. And Baddy Bunny went viral after posting a teary-eyed video to Tiktok on his song “DTMF” in gratitude for the fans’ response to his album.
“It tells the young man, “It’s okay not to be alright. It’s okay to struggle, because I’m not alone in this,” Jacobs says.
Gender norms regarding emotions are changing – and experts say that’s a good thing.
The Levant said young men responded to traditional masculinity constraints.
“That’s kind of the first rule. If you’re a boy, you’ll be punished crying. You’re told, ‘Boys don’t cry,'” says Levant.
Yet young men are growing up during the epidemic of male loneliness. A 2021 survey by the Center for Research on Life in America found that one in five men received emotional support from their friends compared to ten women who received emotional support from their friends within the past week. And a woman told her friend that half of the women loved them within the last week.
Experts say being more open about emotions can contribute to solutions.
“It’s really, really influential for young men,” says Jacobs. “Historically, cultural norms have discouraged men… to demonstrate vulnerability, it perpetuates the stigma around mental health.”Rachel Hale’s role in covering youth mental health at USA Today is supported by a partnership with Pivotal and Journalism Funding Partners. Funders do not provide editor input. Contact her at rhale@usatoday.com @RachelLeighhale x.
