Mental health continues to be a hot topic in today’s society. One field that has shown vital progress in terms of attention to mental health is sports. Sports are, in essence, physical; however, the mental states of athletes are often key to their performance.
Athletes like Michael Phelps and Ronda Rousey have spoken out about their battles before, but now there is a new wave of advocacy that goes beyond the recognition of mental health: one for its active prioritization. It was set off when world #3 tennis player Naomi Osaka withdrew from the 2021 French Open due to mental health struggles.
Most recently, acclaimed gymnast Simone Biles withdrew from the Tokyo Olympics’s gymnastics team final for her well-being after doing poorly in the vault. Biles’s decision was met with mixed reactions. Many praised her for taking care of herself, while others vilified her, calling her selfish and weak.
Simone Biles made the wise decision in pulling out of the competition. However, her statements about the prioritization of mental health are questionable. Neither she nor any competitor should be praised for withdrawing. Instead, withdrawal for the sake of one’s mental health should not be celebrated but normalized.
Biles gives a reasonable explanation for her decision. She said in a press conference — alongside her teammates who won silver — that she pulled out because her “mental's not there.” On Instagram, she shed some more light on her situation, saying that, during the vault, she had been experiencing the “twisties” — a feeling of disorientation and loss of control. The decision was made to not cost the team a medal and to prevent herself from getting injured.
These reasons make sense. Had she competed while she was having the “twisties,” she may have very well caused the team to not place at all. Furthermore, gymnastics is a dangerous sport, and any hesitation or misstep on the athlete’s part could seriously injure them.
However, although her reasons for withdrawal are valid, the prioritization of mental health she advocates for is not.
“I say put mental health first. Because if you don't, then you're not going to enjoy your sport and you're not going to succeed as much as you want to. So it's OK sometimes to even sit out the big competitions to focus on yourself because it shows how strong of a competitor and person that you really are — rather than just battle through it,” said Biles.
This statement can be easily misinterpreted to the detriment of those who do because it does not include the rationale behind her decision that made it valid. It makes it seem that mental health should be prioritized for the sake of the athlete’s enjoyment and success. It puts forward that competitors should be allowed to withdraw if they cannot perform their best and that doing so shows strength.
Biles’s withdrawal was wise because it was made for the sake of the team and for her own safety, but what if her statement was used as justification for a bad decision? This event is too recent to have any visible real-life effects, but hypothetically, what if a golfer got the yips and decided to withdraw because she couldn’t do her best? Would that be a sign of strength? Would that be a cause for celebration?
Furthermore, the impact of such a statement is not limited to the world of sports. Advances for mental health in sports still mean advances for mental health as a whole. Would it be laudable for a debater to pull out if she had performance anxiety? Would it be acceptable for the head of sales to delegate an important sales pitch because he was struggling mentally? Withdrawal for the sake of mental health should not be celebrated because it is not a great feat of personal strength or nobility. Rather, it should be normalized.
Normalization means that mental health should be treated just like physical health. That is the goal of mental health advocacy, isn’t it? If mental health apologists want to further their cause, they should stop acting like athletes prioritizing their mental health is amazing and revolutionary. We applaud the athletes who power through injuries but do not condemn those who choose to stop competing. We should do the same with those who choose to withdraw for their mental health.
Stress and pressure are ingrained in sports, in competitions, and in life. Each one of us has a God-given duty on earth that we must strive to do our best to accomplish. Struggles with mental health are just that: struggles. Oftentimes, they may be hard to deal with, but with help and time, they can be overcome. If an athlete or even just a person needs to take a step back, that’s okay. They are deserving of love and support. At the same time, we should celebrate those who develop mental strength over time and succeed.
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