Naomi Osaka And Destigmatizing Mental Health Among Athletes
Naomi Osaka’s decision to withdraw from the French Open and be transparent about her struggles, brings about a much needed conversation about the prioritization of mental health over work! We discuss it here!
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 26, 2019: 2019 Australian Open Champion Naomi Osaka of Japan during press conference following her win in the final match at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne Park
Credit: Leonard Zhukovsky
By: Cory Utsey
Naomi Osaka became quite the household name after defeating former No. 1 women’s single tennis player Serena Williams in 2018. Since then, she has amassed much success as a four-time Grand Slam singles champion, and on Monday May 31, she announced that she would be withdrawing from the Roland Garros French Open.
Naomi Osaka withdraws from the French Open to focus on her mental health.
— 247 Live Culture (@247LC) May 31, 2021
Osaka was recently fined $15,000 for not speaking to the press.
“I am not a natural public speaker and get huge waves of anxiety before I speak to the world’s media.” pic.twitter.com/Jde8TwYjng
In a statement that was released on Twitter and Instagram, Osaka attributed her decision to withdraw to the prioritization of her mental health, as she has long dealt with periods of depression and anxiety.
The announcement of her withdrawal came days after a previous statement in which she announced that she would not be talking to any press during the French Open, citing the media’s general disregard for the mental health of athletes as her reasoning. She was fined $15,000 for her decision to do so.
Her decision has been praised by a number of people and companies, including Nike, Mastercard, Venus Williams and Serena Williams.
Osaka is no stranger to outspokenness or advocacy, as she often uses her platform to speak on police brutality and racial injustice. She has ultimately shown that athletes are still people whose mental health should be prioritized just as much, if not more than, their physical capabilities and contractual obligations.
This is extremely important in the fight to destigmatize mental health conditions among all people, and especially athletes.
The National Institute of Mental Health reports that approximately one in five adults living in the United States suffer from mental illness. Not only do these illnesses vary in severity, but they often have a direct impact on physical health, as they affect one’s ability and desire to engage in behaviors that are healthy.
Although various studies have shown that staying physically healthy and engaged can boost one’s mood and mental health, this does not make athletes exempt from dealing with mental health related issues.
Athletes For Health, a nonprofit dedicated to keeping athletes engaged with the community, states that 33 percent of college students, including student athletes, suffer from mental health related conditions. Of this group, 30 percent of college students seek help for their mental health, but among college athletes, the number of individuals who seek help only falls at 10 percent.
In regards to professional athletes, the number of people who deal with mental health crises such as burnout, anxiety or disordered eating falls at approximately 35 percent.
Professional athletes are susceptible to the everyday conditions that have the ability to adversely affect one’s mental health, along with the added pressure to perform well and maintain public image.
Osaka herself cites the stress and pressure of engaging with the media and saying the “right things” as one that takes a toll.
Her decision to be transparent about her struggles, along with the subsequent prioritization of mental health over work, is one that can certainly be considered admirable.
Mental health is something that all people must keep at the forefront of the decisions they make and the directions they go. Although many are sad to see Osaka’s brief hiatus from the court, her well-being is much more important than titles or accolades.
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What The "Serena Williams Rule" Says About Black Women In Sports
Serena Williams has been banned from wearing her Nike designed “catsuit” at the French Open. We discuss why this rule shows how black women are over sexualized because of their body!
“It will no longer be accepted. One must respect the game and the place.”
By: Omar Cook
Serena Williams is one of the greatest athletes in sports history, male or female. Having won multiple world titles, olympic medals, and consistently being ranked top in the world in her sport, she has more than paid her dues to the game. But even controversy finds the greatest of players.
Serena Williams took some time off from the game due to the birth of her child, and has been battling with her health and blood clots. Nike designed a special catsuit that was made to help her recover faster during competition, which she wore earlier this year in her return at the French Open. “Yeah, the catsuit, I had a lot of problems with my blood clots, and, God, I don’t know how many I have had in the past 12 months." Said Serena. “So it is definitely a little functionality to it. I have been wearing pants in general a lot when I play so I can keep, you know, the blood circulation going." She continued saying, “It’s a fun suit, but it’s also functional so I can be able to play without any problems.”
Serena Williams Wears Nike Catsuit at the French Open (TIM CLAYTON - CORBIS VIA GETTY IMAGES)
“It feels like this suit represents all the women that have been through a lot mentally, physically, with their body to come back and have confidence and to believe in themselves,” Said Serena Williams this past June, after her major win in Paris following the birth of her daughter. “I feel like a warrior in it, like a warrior princess kind of, queen from Wakanda. I’m always living in a fantasy world. I always wanted to be a superhero, and it’s kind of my way of being a superhero. I feel like a superhero when I wear it.”
French Tennis Federation president Bernard Giudicelli told Tennis Magazine that there will be a new dress code at the French Open going forward stating "I think that sometimes we've gone too far." He continued by saying "It will no longer be accepted. One must respect the game and the place."
We all know that Serena Williams has a curvy figure, but to make a rule specifically because of the way her body looks in athletic gear is not only sexist, but it speaks volumes to how black women are viewed. If we're being real, if a non-black woman with less of a curvy figure had worn this outfit, would this be an issue? Here we have an athlete, the best athlete in women's tennis history, being shamed for wearing an outfit designed to give her a health benefit. Are we saying that having too much curves is a problem now? Serena has been criticized before for wearing beads in her hair so the hate is nothing new.
Women should be able to promote body positivity and love themselves for how they are naturally shaped. Serena said she wore the suit to represent "all the moms out there who had a tough pregnancy and had to come back and try to be fierce." What message is really being sent by trying to limit what this woman wears in competition? If a full body suit is unacceptable, than what is acceptable?
Black women tend to have naturally curvy bodies are often sexualized because of their figures, and this new rule just perpetuates the over sexualization. Being too "thick" is not something that women should have to deal with or even be ashamed of, specifically black women. Women should be able to embrace their bodies without being ridiculed for it being seen as over the top. Men in positions of power need to check themselves about how they deal with women, and what they say. This is rule is ridiculous, and if we have to call it for what it is, it's blatant racism.