Basketball player Ben Simmons, Olympic gymnast Simone Biles, and tennis player Naomi Osaka are three of the world’s most noteworthy professional athletes. Each of them has taken an extended break from their sport. Biles and Osaka were praised for having the mental whereabouts to not compete when they knew they weren’t at their best.
Simmons? Not so much.
Former NBA players, mainstream and alternative media outlets, social media, fans, and basically everyone has severely criticized Simmons for backing out of returning to a Game 4 playoff matchup after he reported back pain just one day prior. Simmons missed an entire season due to mental health allegations and a flaring back injury. NBA legend Charles Barkley told a story about how he shot up his knee with three cortisone shots to play a Game 7.
I hate speaking on mental health or injuries. The only reason that I’m writing about this is because of the different responses to athletes based on their gender and sport. There’s a certain God complex when criticizing a player for his or her mental and physical state.
Is Simmons hurt? If he’s hurt, then how bad? Why does he continue to struggle mentally? Is his mental health just a ruse to not play? Is he committed for 2022? Does he love basketball or merely the paycheck? Is there more than meets the eye?
I try to stay away from that complex as much as possible. Call it an attempt at fairness.
This Is Not A Ben Simmons Hate Piece
I understand the criticism. Hell, maybe it’s warranted. The optics look terrible. Maybe some tough love is what Simmons needs to help mold him into the diamond that was expected of him as the No 1. pick in the 2016 NBA Draft.
I won’t pile on Simmons. There’s enough of that. As a casual sports fan, tough love isn’t my place. More than likely, that will come from other players and people close to him.
If anything, the Brooklyn Nets should get most of the criticism. It was foolish to expect Simmons to return to a Game 4 when he has never played with the team or its players. There’s no chemistry. If he couldn’t make his season debut in a Game 3 down 2-0, then why would he return just two days later?
The Nets knew what they were trading for. Ben Simmons is a talented player in the midst of an availability crisis. The team knew he has a history of back injuries. There was no guarantee that he’d play this year. This trade was always a risk.
Brief Rundown of Naomi Osaka, Simone Biles
Former four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka withdrew from the 2021 French Open because speaking to the media brought her anxiety. Chicago Tribune columnist Dahleen Glanton called her brave for putting her well-being ahead of her job.
Biles is an Olympic gymnast who has won 32 medals. Seven of those are Olympic. During the 2020 Olympics (in 2021), Biles withdrew from most of her competitions after she experienced ‘twisties.’ Twisties happen when gymnasts get lost in the air while completing skills. The media praised Biles as she was considered courageous and brave for choosing herself.
Pause Is Power
More and more athletes are traveling down the route of taking a pause. So many that POWERADE created a marketing campaign that encourages younger athletes to follow a similar path to Biles and Osaka. Check out their 90-second advertising campaign.
Maybe I’m too much of a prude but this video was just silly. It’s almost as if POWERADE is mocking the idea itself. It’s funny to think that a sports drink company would promote this logic. If athletes take pause, then they won’t need POWERADE to refuel. Wouldn’t an extended pause create fewer sales?
I don’t know. I don’t understand why companies do anything that they do anymore. Netflix ruins He-Man. Why am I supposed to act surprised when their stock price plummets more than 70 percent over the last six months? Don’t fix what isn’t broken!
POWERADE explained their reason for the ‘Pause Is Power’ marketing campaign. Below were comments from POWERADE Global Brand Director Claire Pinel and Publicis Worldwide Global Chief Creative Officer Bruno Bertelli
Quotes Regarding ‘Pause Is Power’
“Competition comes with great pressure and intensity, and it’s important to remind people of the power that can be found in the simple act of a pause, allowing us to come back better and stronger.”
Claire Pinel, POWERADE Global Brand Director.
“The campaign highlights some of the world’s most inspiring ambassadors for the importance of mental health. The sports industry is well-known for the pressure put on its athletes and players, pressure that impacts not only results, but the mental strength of individuals too. “Pause is Power” is a campaign that celebrates pausing to refuel, rethink and recharge as a sign of power, not a weakness. Our aim is to raise awareness to all humans, not just professional athletes, that pausing is not losing, it’s actually winning.”
Bruno Bertelli, Global Chief Creative Officer, Publicis Worldwide
Okay. There is some truth to this line of thinking. I define ‘pause’ as synonymous with ‘offseason.’ Athletes shouldn’t start thinking it’s okay to ‘pause’ when their teammates are counting on them. Sometimes you got to fight through the adversity to become a better man or woman.
The other element that the video doesn’t discuss is the danger with pausing. You know how people take a week off from the gym? That week becomes a month or a year. For some folks, unpausing isn’t as simple as hitting the play button. It’s hard to regain that motivation.
This is what I’d call an oversimplified rhetoric. It’s not as straightforward as ‘Pause Is Power.’ There’s a time and place for pausing.
POWERADE may have had good intentions. The execution presents a message that’s very irresponsible.
So Is It ‘Pause Is Power’ Or ‘Pause Is Coward?’
The best way to demonstrate my point is to post two videos featuring Stephen A. Smith. The first video is about Osaka withdrawing from the French Open. The next video is Simmons missing Game 4.
Notice the tones. Both players were dealing with mental issues. Stephen A. treads carefully with Osaka. He goes nuclear on Simmons. Osaka gets all the time she needs to return. Simmons must make his season debut with a new team during a Game 4 elimination game down 3-0 to a tough defense.
We’re sending mixed messages. If it’s okay for Naomi Osaka and Simone Biles to pause, then why not Ben Simmons? Is it because of gender? That POWERADE ad starred plenty of males. Simmons is just practicing what society has preached for the last few years.
There’s a disconnect somewhere.
