Kodak's Corner

In recent times, mental health and the struggles that come along with it have been more widely discussed. From everyday people to celebrities and well-known athletes, mental health has been taking its toll on many. The 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games have shown that even professionals need a moment to step back and take a breath too.

Going through life for a “normal” person is already stressful, but being a celebrity or Olympic athlete appears to be even more stressful. While still needing to worry about things that “normal” people have to worry about, you also have the eyes of the entire world on you which creates a lot of pressure to be perfect.

During this year’s Olympic Games, there have been multiple athletes that have decided to drop out of the games due to mental health reasons. Among these athletes is gymnast Simone Biles.

Simone Biles came to the conclusion that competing at the Games this year wasn’t in the best interest of her mental health after she arrived in Tokyo.

Once I came out here [to compete], I was like, ‘No, mental is not there, so I need to do it to focus on myself.

Simone Biles according to ESPN

Naomi Osaka participated in the Olympic Games but was eliminated in the third round of the tennis tournament. Despite this, the withdrew from the French Open months before the Olympics citing mental health as a concern.

Perhaps we should give athletes the right to take a mental break from media scrutiny on a rare occasion without being subject to strict sanctions.

Naomi Osaka in her Time Magazine article “It’s O.K. not to be O.K.”

These two Olympic athletes are frequently in the public eye for their amazing accomplishments and talent when it comes to their respective sports. Both athletes have decided to withdraw from the Olympic Games which has created a divide among fans and supporters.

Many feel that the break from being in the public eye is necessary for them both while others feel that they should have powered through and continued with the games despite their negative mental health. Regardless of the decisions that these two athletes made, they would have received negative comments from others, so taking the time to address their mental health and not pile on more stress seems to be the best option for them both.

Olympic track runner Sha’Carri Richardson didn’t make it to the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games due to a 30-day suspension after testing positive for marijuana. Despite this, she has still been receiving lots of backlash for her consumption of marijuana.

Despite these women all going through different circumstances, they are all still athletes with the weight of the world on their shoulders. They’re receiving backlash for making decisions that they feel would benefit them.

All of these women are in their twenties. This is typically the time where you make mistakes and try to figure out who you are as a person. None of these women can do that because everyone in the world is looking at their every move and waiting for a mistake to be made so that they can judge and criticize.

Biles and Osaka have both been in the spotlight for years now when it comes to sports. They’ve accomplished a lot, but no one besides them knows the battles that they fight and the struggles that they ensure when they’re not competing or in the public eye.

Richardson is more new to being in the public eye, but is still dealing with personal battles just like the other two women. Beyond being in the public eye, she has recently lost her biological mother as well.

Mental health should be prioritized over everything else. The pressure on influencers and athletes to be perfect is causing more harm than good. There’s no such thing as perfect and to expect it is unrealistic. As a person that suffers from negative mental health, I’m extremely proud of these women for remaining strong and doing what they feel is best for them and their mental health.