I'm old, so get the hell off my lawn. Growing up, the Olympics were must-see TV. You knew the athletes and followed every event. You had to keep up with the medal count and make sure those evil Russians and steroid pumping German women weren't getting ahead. Bruce Jenner was the greatest all-around athlete on earth. Now he's a...well, I don't know what he is. But I digress.
Now, the Olympics have fallen completely off my radar. Maybe they just haven't promoted it well enough. Maybe not allowing fans makes it look like training sessions. Maybe I have no interest in watching athletes wear USA on their jersey while kneeling or turning their backs in ridiculous protest of the very country they chose to represent. Whatever the reason(s), I've only watched about 15 minutes of coverage, and that was last night when I came across a USA men's volleyball match. That's the sport I played at Auburn (Club) and when played at the level I saw last night, is F'ing awesome.
The story that's dominated the last 24 hours is gymnast, Simone Biles, withdrawing in the middle of competition so she can "take care of her mental health." This is apparently a thing nowadays because just a few months ago, the #1 women's tennis player did the same thing in the middle of a Majors tournament. The interviews were too stressful for her. The majority of the talking heads, with the exception of Clay Travis, are all saying the "right things", how brave and courageous Biles is. But something seems off here.
Let me say that I in no way would ever make light of real mental health issues. That's some dangerous stuff to deal with. Believe it or not, even ole Snags here found out he has a breaking point. I watched the press conference yesterday and Biles sounded almost flippant about the whole thing. "Yeah, I knew I wasn't in the right place mentally so I let my teammates finish up." It was like a post-practice interview and she was going for a latte afterward with friends.
So, what if after the first quarter of the Super Bowl, Tom Brady said, "You know what? Not feeling it today. My head's not in the right place. I think I'm gonna' sit the rest of this one out." It's the bottom of the 9th in game 7 of the World Series and the Braves are down 1, Freddie Freeman is coming up with runners in scoring position. (Yeah, I know....never happen) Freddie walks back to the dugout and says, "Yo Snit, I don't have it mentally today. I need to go take care of me." Again, not to make light of mental issues, but that's what I'm seeing here. And people are overwhelmingly praising her for it. That's what's almost disturbing to me.
It's often been said that sports are a microcosm of society. Or something like that. Okay, maybe nobody ever said that, but whatever. I was talking with a buddy this morning about this story and he said he wondered what would have happened if during two-a-days in August, in full pads in the sweltering heat, he told the coach he mentally wasn't feeling it. I know this is more a physical example, but does anybody recall Teddy Bridgewater being carried down the field by his linemen after each play on the winning drive while he was at Marshall? His leg was busted up and he could barely stand. My "breaking point" was when I was taking that 3 day pop quiz called the Alabama State Bar. I had poured my life into preparing for that thing because I was just about out on the street if I didn't pass it. I broke down mentally after the first day. Snagette can tell you I called her begging to come home. Luckily, she doesn't like me that much and cussed me out. One of my buddies got in my face and made me show up to finish the next two days. I hate him for that.
The point being that it seems we're headed to a strange place in society. We used to admire courage and fighting through adversity. Now, we praise those who fold at the first hint of being uncomfortable. Is it just me? Am I being too harsh?
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