if part of american gymnastics lore was kerri strug performing on the vault despite an injured ankle at atlanta 1996, creating the legend of someone who literally had to be carried to the podium because she had put winning ahead of her own safety, here was biles now going in the opposite direction: maybe putting yourself at risk just to win shouldn’t be the expectation.
usa gymnastics has publicly supported that position, saying on wednesday in announcing biles’ withdrawal from the all-around competition that it “wholeheartedly supports simone’s decision and applaud her bravery in prioritizing her well-being.”
it would have been a surprise, though, if usa gymnastics offered anything else. the organization’s reputation has been ruined by the sexual abuse scandal involving a former team doctor, of which biles was a victim, and it has been excoriated for fostering a win-at-all-costs ethos.
the larger question is how biles’ decision to step away from competing right at the moment of the most important competition on the gymnastics calendar will be accepted in the sporting world. gymnastics is far from alone in creating a suck-it-up culture that values obedience to the team above all else, nor is it the only sport in which the expectation is that if you are physically able to get out on the field, you will get out on the field. and if you can’t physically do it, they will patch you up or inject enough painkillers that you can. what would happen if a young nhl star announced, on the eve of the stanley cup final, that he was feeling overwhelmed by the pressure to please everyone else, and that the joy of the game had been lost? what if a quarterback said he needed to take a break from fighting his demons during super bowl week? while there has been significant change around the conversation about sports and mental health in recent years, the industry — from teams to leagues to media to fans — would have a hard time coming to terms with a biles-level withdrawal in a major team sport. athletes routinely are criticized any time they do anything that is perceived to be in their own best interest, instead of the team’s.