They Owe Us Nothing

She is human. Sha'Carri Richardson is a bonafide star and she does not owe us anything. As a track & field coach and enthusiast, it's been a joy to witness her performances this season and recently at the Olympic Trials as well as the grace she displayed following her finals race. She won it in style, has put herself among the best ever, and captured hearts everywhere with her vibrant personality. I couldn't wait to see her take on Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce for the Olympic gold medal in a couple months. And yet here we are just a couple weeks later and she is dealing with a suspension for having marijuana in her system. Her time not in official record books, might not get to run at all in Tokyo, and under the scrutiny of the world.

Never mind the absurdity of the rule/ruling, all the problematic notions and racialized history regarding weed and drug policies, and the issues with the International Olympic Committee; I think we've seen enough discussion regarding all that. What really gets me is all the internet Randalls trying to play hall monitor over someone else's life, upholding flawed systems. "Rules are rules and everyone has to follow them." "She knew better." "It's her fault, she made a stupid decision." "Why couldn't she just stop for a few weeks?" Then there's the unfair assumptions made about her. If I'm not mistaken, there are certain people who don't uphold a moral standard yet still get to hold positions of power and success after/while breaking rules.. but whatever. The stupidity and insensitivity I've seen is appalling.. but should I really be surprised? 

I've spent the day upset and sad for Sha'Carri. Can you imagine.. finding out about your biological mother's death a week before one of the biggest moments of your life? How do you deal with that? In the midst of preparing for competition, how do you prepare for that? Trauma has a way of paralyzing us. Tries to swallow us. We are not good at dealing with it. My best friend died in my arms a couple years ago and it was the loneliest I ever felt in my life. It took everything in me to be able to move and more not go crazy. I don't know what her relationship with her mother was like but if I were to find out from a stranger that my dad - who I don't have much of a relationship with - died, I don't know how I would deal with it. I've had to fight to not go into dark places to deal with my trauma. In her grief, she chose to use marijuana to cope with her mother's death and the 'state of emotional panic' she was in. I know plenty of people - friends, professional athletes - who would choose the same to cope with stress, anxiety, and pain. Sha'Carri did no wrong.

She chose her health over the sport, just like Naomi Osaka brought to light recently (and she still receives criticism for it). Yet, the majority of the discussion I've seen revolves around the sport over her personhood, how she ruined her opportunity. And it is because we too often make spectacle of others' success and ascribe their value to their performance. As always, rather than empathize or at least think about the nuance behind this situation, the world chose to scrutinize her. Perhaps she did know the consequences. But what is a career when you are trying to keep yourself whole? 

Today, a five-year ban for Brianna McNeal was also upheld for violating anti-doping rules. She missed a test while she was recovering from an abortion that she had just had two days earlier and in the midst of all this, she got the date of her procedure mixed up. She had an abortion so that she could participate in last years Olympics, which we know got postponed to this year.. I can't imagine how traumatic that experience must be. And she is getting punished for it. Will we ever be ashamed of how punitive our society is? I grieve that she had to make this information public so that she could defend herself. And that Sha'Carri has to deal with her situation in the public eye, that she felt the need to apologize for her actions and explain herself. 

Athletes dedicate their lives and sacrifice their bodies and what do they get in return? But when do we consider the humanity of athletes anyways? Or anyone with fame, for that matter. They way we treat them has bothered me for a while. They are expected to handle everything with grace but aren't given any. We make demands of them and don't hesitate to throw them away when they don't meet them; when they are no longer useful to us. Their career is not the most important thing about them. We need to rethink how we view these people that we too often put on a pedestal. They are human. They are not here to serve us. They owe us nothing. We are lucky that we get to witness their excellence. But maybe we just don't deserve them.