Here’s the real reason why people criticized Simone Biles
After withstanding what seemed like weeks of criticism for putting her mental health before competing in the Summer Olympics, Simone Biles made the difficult decision o get back in the games and it paid off.
Biles, in a triumphant return, won a bronze medal Tuesday on the balance beam.
That still might not be enough for her critics but the news made my heart leap. I would’ve felt the same way had she taken the silver she’d won in the team final and just went home.
Lucky for us she stayed the course, cheering her teammates on and raising awareness about the importance of mental health.
Biles, who last competed in Tokyo a week ago, withdrew from the team final after one rotation, then the all-around, vault, floor and uneven bar finals to focus on her mental and physical health.
Her reason?
She was suffering from “the twisties,” described as a dangerous disconnect between the mind and body that causes gymnasts to become disoriented in the air.
It’s hard not to admire both her wisdom to bow out and the strength she had to possess to endure all the criticism.
It reminded me of a conversation I had with Erin C. Tarver four years ago during my column writing days at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Tarver, an assistant professor of philosophy at Oxford College of Emory University, who described herself then as both a life-long sports fan, is the author of “The I in Team,” which analyzes sports fans and identity.
We were talking about the back lash black NFL players received for kneeling during the National Anthem to protest police brutality but much of what Tarver had to say then certainly applies here.
She told me that while many white fans are happy to root for black athletes, they are unwilling to accept them as “full” human beings.
Think about that.
“We like to think that sports are the great equalizer, a way of bringing people together despite their differences,” Tarver said. “This might sometimes be true, but there are serious reasons to doubt whether this pretty picture is accurate. In many cases, what we see is the opposite — that racism finds a way to evolve and adapt to integration.”
Many white fans, she told me and I happen to agree, treat black athletes more like mascots than full members of the team, and they will withdraw their support if players don’t do what fans expect of them or when they’re no longer useful.
“In other words, when they remind fans that they’re real human beings,” Tarver said.
To her credit, Simone Biles, at just 24, knew better.
She put it this way: “At the end of the day, we’re not just athletes,” she said during a press conference. “We’re human.”
Yes, you are, Ms. Biles. Yes, you are.
I don’t know who else needs to hear those words, but yes, you are human, too.
