Athletes are different these days. Well, people overall are different because the athletic world is just a microcosm of society. However, the greatest gymnast I've seen in my lifetime is not participating on the highest stage and it's disappointing.
The reason doesn't matter.
Regardless if it would have been due to a physical injury or something of that nature, to not see the best at a competition not perform in a once-every-four-year event is disappointing. It's like listening to Phil Collins performing "In The Air Tonight" and your power cuts off on your sound system before the drums can kick in. All that build up with no conclusion.
And I feel let down because this is all new to me in the world of sports. I'm from a generation when athletes stood out because they "found a way" to compete on the biggest stages despite the pressure or pain that came along with it.
Muhammad Ali is considered the Greatest of All-Time by many boxing fans, but he lost 5 times in his career. Serena Williams is considered the GOAT of the tennis world, but she's lost in a major event championship 10 times in her career. So, they're simply not great because they won a lot. They're great because they continued to come back after a loss.
Whatever athletes like Simone, Naomi Osaka, Kyrie Irving and others may be going through, I hope that they can work through it. How I feel is inconsequential to them, as it should be. The media is tough and social media critics are relentless. I'll never know the pressure they may feel just for being who they are. But I will say this:
It's okay to lose.
We need to instill that mindset into younger people sooner rather than later. What made Ali the greatest boxer of all-time to me is not that he won a heavyweight championship. It was the fact that he lost the championship belt multiple times yet continued to fight until he won it back. His perseverance is what made him the GOAT in my opinion. The same goes for Serena.
Something needs to change. We need to say "no" to participation trophies. No more celebrating someone's presence as being enough. We have to teach people how to take an "L" and be okay with it because no matter what you do in life, failure is going to rear its ugly head multiple times. You will lose at something.
The word "life" even starts with an "L"!
We all go through things in life that a lot of people may not be aware of at the time. And although it sounds like I'm bashing Simone, I'm really not. I don't blame her one bit in this because I truly don't know what she's going through. Her story isn't done yet. She's still the greatest gymnast I've ever seen and I hope that she has a comeback story like an Ali or Serena.
It's the system that I hate. I question the system that has been in place for at least a generation that says "not participating" is the route you take when things get hard instead of a focus on helping people cope prior to getting to that point.
