Can we finally allow for our heroes in sports to be human after all? As we have seen over the last year, the pandemic has been crushingly difficult for many to process. Some of our women’s sports role models have had to take a step out and refuse honors just to keep going for their own mental health and well-being.
Consider the case of Simone Biles in the most recent Olympic games. She pushed herself beyond what you would think the human boundary would allow and still won 2 medals while not letting anyone know about the recent death of her aunt. “We also have to focus on ourselves, because at the end of the day, we’re human, too,” Biles said, according to The Associated Press. “We have to protect our mind and our body, rather than just go out there and do what the world wants us to do.”
A similar case happened only months before where the highest rated player in women’s professional tennis, Osaka, bowed out and was not allowed to play as she took a much needed mental health reset.
Is it finally be time to allow professional athletes to be human? There is already an unfair expectation of female athletes in the case of unequal pay, so let’s fix the system for the better, both mentally and financially. Learn more in the visual deep dive below.
