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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Naomi Osaka Is The Star Of The Future After Defeating Legendary Serena Williams Back To Back
There’s nothing better than a blockbuster matchup between two well renowned athletes. Naomi Osaka’s dominant performance over the legend, that is Serena Williams, proves she is ready to carry the torch as the next Tennis great.
Naomi Osaka defeats Serena Williams in the Australian Open Semifinals
By: Tialena Evans
There’s nothing better than a blockbuster matchup between two well renowned athletes. The legend, that is Serena Williams, faced off against another well respected powerhouse, Naomi Osaka, in Wednesday’s Australian Open Semifinals. While this was a highly anticipated match and thought to be a tight three-set battle till the very end, it didn’t quite live up to the hype. Osaka dominated with an overpowering 6-3, 6-4 victory over Williams, thus propelling her to the final.
Serena Williams is undoubtedly one of the greatest, if not the greatest, female athletes to ever grace this earth. She’s even in the conversation of being the greatest athlete that ever was, regarding her 23 Grand Slam Titles and her dominance on the court since a young age.
Although fans would love to watch her play forever, it’s notable to mention that her age has definitely shown in her play lately and new talent like Osaka just has the youth and growing hunger to become the next great.
The two stars first met at the 2018 US Open, their only other Grand Slam matchup, which Osaka also won in straight sets in an upset over Williams. With back to back losses to Osaka, it’s evident that Williams' pedestal is slowly being overtaken.
Naomi Osaka beat Serena Williams to make the Australian Open final © William West, AFP
It must be a weird feeling for Williams to battle the manifestation of her influence. Osaka has shared that she grew up watching the Williams sisters and looked up to Serena’s dominance and work ethic.
“Just to be on the court playing against her, for me, is a dream,” Osaka said.
She doesn’t even want to think about the end of Williams’s career.
“It’s kind of sad when you say it like that because, for me, I want her to play forever,” she told reporters. “That’s a little kid and me.
After Wednesday’s loss, Williams showed her appreciation to the small crowd, twirling around to acknowledge everyone in the stands, holding her hand to her heart, taking in every feeling at once.
During a news conference, when asked if the gestures were in reference to a goodbye, she didn’t quite know what to say. “ I don’t know— if I ever say farewell, I wouldn’t tell anyone, so …” She later becomes too choked up to continue the conference, wiping tears from her face, and exiting the podium.
While Osaka has only won three grand slam titles and has a ways to go in catching William’s legacy, she has an abundance of years ahead of her at only 23 years old. Osaka is undoubtedly cut from the same regal cloth as Williams, and it will be amazing to see what the future holds for her career.
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We Don’t Need Sports, We Need Action
Sports have always been an avenue to invoke pride and change to matters at hand, but as athletes are coming together to spread awareness on necessary racial issues, professional sports may need to take a backseat.
By: Baigen Seawell
After three months, George Floyd’s legacy still rings, Breonna Taylor’s Killers (Johnathan Mattingly, Brett Hankinson, and Myles Cosgrove) are still not indicted, and now the shooting of Jacob Blake has forced people to take the blinders off.
Sports is and always has been an avenue to invoke pride and change to matters at hand. It’s brought us together when Katrina ripped through New Orleans, or when we had to recover from the September 11th Attacks.
But on the flip side, for many years, sports and athletes alike have been forced to keep quiet on intersections that affect them personally, race and gender being the top two. As a people, the narrative is that because we had Jackie Robinsons and Michael Jordans and Florence Griffith-Joyners, there is no racism or sexism to deal with, especially not in sport.
Athletes such as Muhammad Ali, Colin Kaepernick, and Serena Williams show time and time again that there are things that need to be dealt with, and they have dealt with them with poise and restraint. But after the constant turmoil and tensions boiling over the symbolic pot holding in all of the extended experiences that Black athletes face before, during and after their participation...there is little restraint in this matter.
Over the past 72 hours, athletes throughout the NBA have boycotted playing in playoff appearances. This is different from mentioning names in press conferences and post game interviews, or wearing HBCU apparel to raise awareness. Sports are going to grind to a halt, whether people accept it or not.
Former NBA legends Kareem Abdul Jabar and Bill Russell went on strike during their time, and as the boycott ensues, this will be the first true strike collectively, excluding the four prior NBA lockouts throughout the league’s history.
This is a major and pivotal moment in athlete activism because acknowledging intersections in athletes has been frowned upon in professional and amateur athletes. Athletes should “just play...” but in a world of social distancing, civil unrest and rising tensions, how can one focus on just playing when you are isolated in thought, in presence (in your respected bubble, or wubble) and in spirit? When the jersey comes off, reality sets in.
Athletes of Color, specifically Black athletes are subject to stacking, targeting, and are faced with sociological backlash regularly. Be it Black athletes being acknowledged for their physical nature instead of intellect, like their white counterparts, or being prevented equal pay and opportunities due to the gender gap… or finally, witnessing violence against our fellow Black people. Things have been sliding for entirely too long over these three months, and it’s time to bring things to a screeching halt.
Policy changes have been delayed for the sake of bringing things back to “normal,” however, things cannot and will not be returning to normal.
Sports can no longer be used to assuage the mind state of those who use it as a tool to keep citizens pacified, as it did for centuries in numerous cultures. We cannot use the dramatic spectacle to pretend that this is normal, because none of this is normal. Sports should not have come back, nor should they have been considered to resume.
As players continue to boycott, tensions keep rising, and the ball is now in the court of policy makers, general managers and league commissioners everywhere to make the decision of how to invoke action and facilitate change...without using sport as a scapegoat.
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The Future of Tennis Is In Good Hands With Coco Gauff
At just 15 years old, Cori “Coco” Gauff has put the tennis world on notice that she is here to stay! We discuss her quick rise to prominence!
Photo by: Shi Tang/Getty Images
By: Tialena Evans
At just 15 years old, Cori “Coco” Gauff put the world on notice as she rose to prominence with a first round upset in 2019 at Wimbledon against one of the greatest to ever do it, Venus Williams. Gauff won her first Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) singles title at the 2019 Linz Open, which brings no surprise as to why she is the youngest player ranked in the top 100 by WTA. The young star also holds a career-high ranking of No. 66 in the world, which is pretty impressive considering she still has to find time to manage her schoolwork in between training and matches in different parts of the world.
Inspired by the Sister-Act
The Delray Beach, Florida native experimented with a variety of sports as a child, but chose to stick with tennis. As many people expected, Gauff was inspired to pick up the sport by watching her idols, the Williams sisters.
“Serena Williams has always been my idol...and Venus” she has said. “They are the reason why I wanted to pick up a tennis racket”.
After defeating Venus Williams at Wimbledon in 2019, Coco eagerly approached the net to commend Venus as they shook hands after the match. “ I was just telling her thank you for everything she’s done for the sport,” said Coco. “ She’s been an inspiration for many people. I was just really telling her thank you.
Photo By Getty Images
Superstar in the Making
With Serena Williams being universally known as the “Queen” of the game, Coco Gauff has emerged as the “Princess”. Williams has secured her spot as arguably the greatest professional women’s tennis player, by holding the the world No. 1 rank in singles on eight separate occasions, winning four Olympic gold medals, and collecting 23 major singles titles, which is the most by any man or woman in the Open Era. Williams also holds the most Grand Slam titles in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles combined among active players.
Now, while Gauff has nowhere near the amount of William’s accolades, she is well on pace to becoming a superstar in the near future. Everyone tries to find ways in comparing them just on the base that they both found themselves as young stars, coming into the game and excelling greatly and earlier than most. But, an interesting reason why Gauff has been hailed as the next Serena Williams is the fact that they both share a coach in Patrick Mouratoglou. Gauff has been training with Mouratoglou at his tennis facilities in Southern France for five years now, since she was 10. Mouratoglou has praised Gauff as a phenomenal player, and has acknowledged that she has what it takes to become the next great tennis star, especially because she is so driven. He even proclaimed that there are “no limits” when it comes to her career aspirations.
Gauff continued to make her statement as a future superstar during the Australian Open, by defeating Venus Williams once again in straight sets in the first round. She then went on to advance all the way to the fourth round, taking out defending champion Naomi Osaka in the third. Gauff’s impressive run in the Australian Open puts her as the youngest player to defeat a top 5 player since Jennifer Capriati beat Gabriela Sabatini at the 1991 US Open.
Although Coco Gauff and Serena Williams have never played a match against one another, it will definitely be a performance that we all can’t wait to witness. Gauff has already upset one half of the Williams duo, but with a victory over Serena, she just might possibly make the world stand still for a few moments.
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We're Tired Of The Angry Black Woman Narrative Surrounding Serena Williams
There’s a difference between passion and arrogance, but major media outlets have chosen to describe 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams as angry and arrogant after her defeat. Aren’t we tired of the angry black woman narrative? We discuss it here!
Serena Williams. Photo: Elsa/Getty Images
“For me it blows my mind. But I’m going to continue to fight for women.”
By: Omar Cook
Serena Williams is at the center of controversy following her loss to Naomi Osaka at the US Open women's final. The 23-time Grand Slam champion got into a heated argument with the chair umpire after she was penalized for apparently receiving coaching from the stands. Her coach gestured hand signals to Serena and she was penalized for this action. The result; Serena Williams went on to defend herself and her integrity to the game against the official. Adding insult to injury, she was also hit with a $17,000 fine for the event.
Anyone that's ever played a sport knows the time and commitment it takes to be great at a sport so to be upset after getting penalized for this type of action is understandable. Any great athlete exhibits passion for their sport, because it means something to them. This was the championship match, and making this type of call in this match was ludicrous. This happens in tennis all the time, where players receive coaching from the stands. Serena Williams has lost many of times and has always accepted defeat with grace and Naomi Osaka was already ahead in the match but the call itself was what made Serena speak up.
Major props to Naomi Osaka, for winning her first title and defeating Serena. Serena Wiliams even comforted Naomi after the victory but this is just a part of the story. This story is about how the media has tried to portray Serena Williams after this defeat as the angry black woman, and a sore loser using headlines to antagonize this situation.
Any time black women speak up for themselves they are depicted as angry. And in this particular situation, she had every right to be angry. But to depict what happened in such a way that it's demeaning to her character and shows her in way that makes it seem like she was in the wrong for speaking up, is deplorable. Exhibiting passion for what happened is one thing. Saying she was having a meltdown is another. Stop trying to make this woman look crazy for standing up for herself.
The major news outlets know exactly what they're doing by using images of her screaming and yelling because that fits their narrative of showing black women in a certain way. Not only that, but Naomi Osaka is Haitian AND Japanese, NOT just Japanese. The media has done its very best to keep the Haitian part out of the story. Naomi is a black champion. This was a big moment for BLACK women, two black women competing for a championship. Instead it was overshadowed by poor media headlines and poor refereeing.
Serena had a number of things to say about the match, even calling out sexism in tennis. "I'm here fighting for women's rights and for women's equality and for all kinds of stuff. For me to say 'thief' and for him to take a game, it made me feel like it was a sexist remark," she said. "He's never taken a game from a man because they said 'thief.' For me it blows my mind. But I'm going to continue to fight for women." Serena is right, had this happened in a men's match, this more than likely would have gone uncalled.
But let's dig a little deeper. This same umpire penalized her sister Venus in 2016 for the same exact thing.
Coincidence? I don't know, but the obvious is that this is not the first time it happened and BOTH women sisters spoke up about it. It seems their is always some type of negative agenda that tries to surround Serena. She was attacked for wearing beads in her hair. She was attacked for wearing a Nike catsuit during the French Open. And now attacked for speaking up for what she thought was right. We are tired of the angry black woman narrative that's being pushed out there. The media needs to do a better job with these weak headlines that forever perpetuate stereotypes, OR maybe just hire more black writers and we won't have this issue. We stand with you Serena.
Listen to the post match interview where Serena speaks about Sexism in tennis.
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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.
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