There’s no precedent for an elite-elite level athlete quitting the pinnacle event of their sport for mental health reasons. Imagine John Elway pulling out of the super bowl at halftime or Jordan ducking out of Game 7.
The late-millennial/Zoomer kids have long been mocked and derided as “snowflakes,” but there’s something real going on there. Anyone who’s worked with kids these ages notices it. It just seems like normal life is more difficult for this generation, for whatever reason.
I don’t know for sure, but I doubt this Biles thing happens if the old guard were still in charge. We made trade-offs for years by letting the Karolyis control US gymnastics and they obviously had to go. But maybe it’s possible that what’s required to get to the top of these sports is not compatible with the modern headspace/safe space mentality. We can have elite athletes but we can’t have elite athletes who are also stable humans. This may apply in other sports/industries too. I also doubt this would happen to a Russian or Chinese gymnast, for various (mostly negative) reasons.
Not taking a side, I just think this could be a tipping point for how we deal with this kind of stuff. As an older millennial, I already feel like I’m living on a different planet from the rising generation.