Choosing Health Over Harm
Today, I feel compelled to speak in response to some of the comments I've seen directed toward Simone Biles after she chose her health as a priority.
Adapted from my IG post last week, follow me @notorious.atc on Instagram.
As an Athletic Trainer, I wanted to share my thoughts, so I hope you keep reading, and at the same time, recognize that our opinions on this topic don't matter to her, but they do matter to the athletes in our own lives.
First of all, as an Athletic Trainer, my job is not, as many people think, just taping, first aid, or physical therapy. It is also being an ALLY and an ADVOCATE for my athletes.
As much as I want my team to win, my vision can not be clouded by a championship ring, gold medal, or an athlete's/coach's salary. My decision must be based solely on what is best for the health of my athlete.
Any coach or athlete that has worked with me knows that there is an important difference between competing through discomfort - can I push through this mentally, or is it affecting my play? is my 75% better than my backup's 100%? - and playing through injury - is there potential for a more serious injury if I continue to compete? can this cause serious repercussions down the road?
These are important concepts to discuss before the stress of an injury occurs.
Choosing career longevity or long-term health - the ability to get on the floor and play with your grandchild in 50 years - over one game or event isn't the sexy choice, the heroic choice, the choice fans cheer on and rave about years later.
And for a long time in sports, thinking about an athlete's health in the future has been taboo. The NFL concussion debacle showed us how winning and money were prioritized over post-career health.
Yes, of course, I too remember being inspired as a teenage athlete by Kerri Strug's famous vault, and like many others, can't help but think of it today. She had the whole country crying and cheering at the same time. That vault on her injured ankle, along with subsequent victory tour performances that didn't give her time to heal - ended her gymnastics career, but today, she says she has no regrets, and even has run a marathon.
When I rewatch that clip today, I am still filled with emotion, but this time, because of the knowledge that in the moment she made that decision, she didn't have that advocate, that ally, that team staff member who wasn't thinking about a country, a medal, a team, a job, there for her if she decided to walk away from that vault.
I am truly proud to be able to be that person, to the best of my ability, for my athletes.
Having worked with athletes for over 15 years, I know that neither Biles' or Strug's decision was right or wrong in and of itself. Decisions must be made for each athlete, as an individual in all their complexity as a human - that means protecting the health of their body, mind, and soul. And they must be informed decisions, made with full knowledge of all the relevant information possible at the time.
We have come a long way in sports in terms of medical care. But every time:
a coach says, "I played with a stress fracture, why can't she?"
a fan references an athlete who played in spite of severe injury, or
an organization suppresses injury data out of fear of profit loss
we are doing athletes everywhere - especially our youth athletes who are watching and absorbing everything- a disservice.
Let's recognize the difference between Jordan playing with the flu and the potential catastrophic injury of an elite gymnast who can't complete a move in midair to land safely - only one is "mental toughness."
Let's recognize the difference between hitting a 3 pointer at the buzzer for the win and trying to peak physically in spite of anxiety and depression - only one is "performing under pressure."
Above all else, let's recognize that our athletes, as much as we want to quite literally put them on a pedestal, have lives that continue long after the stadiums empty and the cheers fade. They, like the rest of us, deserve a system that supports their decision to live a life where they may not lead their team to the Super Bowl, but they can stand for long enough to coach their child's peewee team, and still throw a football around with their grandkids. No salary, no medal, is worth enough to deny them this.
