When it comes to many workplaces and issues of race and gender, there is a simple truth both inside and outside of the sports world:
When white women stand up for themselves in the workplace, they are called girl bosses, queens and leaders.
When women of color stand up for themselves in the workplace, they are called problematic, divas and self-serving. This truth may be unrecognizable if you are not a woman of color, and if you are not a Black woman, this seems like an exaggerated trope.
But it’s not and Black women, and women of color, experience this daily.
Naomi Osaka has chosen not to speak to the news media at this year’s French Open to protect her mental health, she said – an expression of standing up for herself in the workplace. Bravo to her.
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This issue is, when Osaka speaks, people listen. Without her commentary at Roland Garros, the world of tennis will lose one of its most influential voices. So, fans wonder, “Is it fair for an athlete to not do a part of their job?”
But Osaka’s point is that press conferences aren’t just unfair, they are problematic to her mental health.
“I’ve often felt that people have no regard for athletes’ mental health and this rings very true whenever I see a press conference or partake in one,” Osaka said on social media.
Osaka has spent years working to reach this pinnacle of her career. At just 23 she…
