quote:
I actually think this topic deserves at least a little nuance.

She was sucking it up and thought she'd become a liability. So she quit. She's going to get praised on that basis by our media establishment who would never criticize a black female athlete. I certainly don't think she deserves praise for it, but I can see a perspective in which she thought (immaturely, IMO) she was doing the right thing in the moment.

On the other hand, she's the GOAT or close to it. She has girls all over the world looking up to her, and the girls on her team depending on her. She's embraced that role to date. Quitting was the easy way out, no question. A competitor of her stature should have risen to the moment or gone down with the ship. If she lets the team down based on bad performance, fine. Hold you head up, tell the girls who admire you that you're going to have bad days but you finish, even when your bad day happens at the worst possible moment. Go out there and do your best for your team, no matter what that ends up looking like.

I think you are just making up reality though.

She wouldn't have received criticism if she made the decision to step down because she was off her game and just didn't think she could help her team. All great athletes hit the wall at some point. Honestly, she probably would have been celebrated for her career at that point.

But, that's not what happened. She's given several reasons, most that didn't make sense.

I'm pretty convinced that she has a mental issue. Based on what I know of her (not much) it's probably due to her personal history (abuse) and narcissism that developed from being told that she's the greatest of all time her entire life combined with the need to constantly be perfect.

She's lost confidence. She couldn't handle the possibility of failing. And, combined with the legit mental instability and fear, she ran from it.

I'm not upset with her. I think the appropriate emotion to have towards her is sympathy.