League of Legends team Schalke 04 revealed a new jersey today to “set a sign for more mindfulness regarding mental health within esports.” It costs $57 and half of the proceeds from it will be donated to the Robert-Enke-Stiftung Foundation in Germany.
Schalke’s players will wear this jersey in their upcoming matches to promote the model and spread this message.
Related: Schalke 04 pick up their first win of the 2020 LEC Summer Split against Fnatic
The Robert-Enke-Stiftung Foundation supports projects that research heart diseases for children, as well as depression and other mental health issues.
Mental health is an issue that only recently started being tackled in esports. The biggest organizations have hired psychologists in recent years, but this remains something that most medium-sized esports teams can’t afford in this growing industry.
Last May, the Counter-Strike Professional Players Association emphasized the importance of the matter in the industry and said it’d check if CS:GO teams are providing players with a mental health hotline, individual meetings, and other tools to “create a more sustainable working environment for professional players.”
The lockdown measures to curb the COVID-19 pandemic have also worsened the situation for some people who struggle with mental health issues, which makes this project by Schalke all the more important.
Schalke’s players will be seen wearing their new jerseys on Friday, July 17 at 11am CT when they’ll start the fifth week of the 2020 LEC Summer Split by facing off against SK Gaming.
