The hypocrisy on social media can be hard to miss sometimes. While there has been a constant campaign to remove the stigma around mental illness over the years, some hold our celebrity athletes to completely different standards. The exact thing happened to Simone Biles when she decided to bow out of the Tokyo Olympics mid-routine to work on her mental health.

Now that she has decided to make a comeback, the criticism around her prioritizing mental health has sparked a debate in the sports community once again. In fact, some have gone far enough to question her status as the queen of gymnastics because of her decision to stop competing. This claim, in turn, has angered her supporters, who have cited other athletes doing the same, including the G.O.A.T. of the NBA, Michael Jordan.

How tragedy shaped the careers of Simone Biles and Michael Jordan

When Simone Biles descended to the arena at the Tokyo Olympics, from the outside, she painted the picture of the perfect Olympic athlete. However, from the inside, her heart was broken. Two days before she gave a performance that earned her a bronze medal in Tokyo, she woke up to dreadful news. Her aunt had passed away. She told Olympics.com, “Two days ago, I woke up and my aunt unexpectedly passed, and it wasn’t any easier being here at the Olympic Games.” Another catastrophe struck when Simone Biles got a case of the “twisties” during her routine.

Her body would not take instructions from her mind, and she ultimately had to step down halfway through her routine. After the incident, Biles announced that she would be taking a break from competing in gymnastics to work on her mental health. On the other hand, Michael Jordan had his share of tribulations when his father was shot dead and robbed. In the documentary “The Last Dance”, the icon described his father as his rock. When that was taken from him, Jordan was inconsolable. Riddled with grief from the death of his parent and thinking he had nothing left to prove, Michael Jordan left basketball.

Read more: Breaking: Simone Biles Shuts Down Retirement Speculations With an Unexpected Announcement for Gymnastics Fans

After playing baseball for 18 months, Jordan knew he had to go back, and he did. The Bulls won that season and MJ considered the victory a tribute to his father, who had always encouraged his legendary son. Just like Jordan needed some time away from the sport to deal with his grief, similarly, Simone Biles took the past two years to overcome hers. To all the naysayers, Biles had one thing to say, “I feel like we’re not just entertainment, we’re humans, as well, and we have feelings.” Still, her hiatus was vilified, and now, her decision to return has caused a wrangle among fans.

Is one really different than the other?

When the official Twitter handle of ESPN shared the news of Simone Biles’ comeback, netizens from all around the world commented on the Tweet. While some welcomed her back with open arms, others expressed their disapproval of her leaving in the first place. A comment that stood out challenged her status as the G.O.A.T. of gymnastics. The comment read:

The claim did not sit well with Simone Biles’ stans, and one of them defended the gymnastics champion by saying:

Another angry supporter spoke out in favor of prioritizing mental health and wrote:

Someone in the comments section also appreciated the pressure regularly faced by Olympic-level athletes and gave a thumbs-up to Biles’ decision to take a break with this comment:

At the end of the day, no matter if a person is a 7-time Olympic medalist, an NBA icon with more than 700 wins in his career, or any other human being on this earth, everyone is entitled to put themselves first. After all, as they say, health is wealth.

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