Do We Forget How To Be Teammates in Election Years?

I had the privilege of playing on a diverse team during my time at Florida State. I also had a coach who promoted us, standing firm in who we are, our differences, and how we could still work together as a team.

Frankly, I miss the hell out of it. I was surprised to learn how rare that dynamic is in life.

Being on a team allowed us to live in a microcosm where we could fall in love with and respect someone from a different background. I’ll admit that once some of my teammates and I graduated and tensions grew in America, I saw some stark stances and wondered if former teammates would have stood as firmly in the locker room.

I wondered if, because we were so far removed from each other, we forgot to see the human in each other.

We forgot how to listen.

We forgot that someone who didn’t look or think like us deserved empathy and understanding.

We forgot how to hear a differing opinion without taking it personally.

And we forgot how to reflect and champion our fellow teammates because we didn’t want to see them potentially suffer at the hands of government policies. 

There was respect among teammates because we all had a collective goal and respect for one another. I can’t speak for everyone’s experience, as I’m only familiar with mine. I’m not sure what I’m here to say, but I miss the respect we had for ourselves and each other. I miss the discourse we could have and the community we would continue to foster. My goal is to bridge that gap through Sportswomen and remind us all of the end goal or the greater good. 

Election years are always emotionally draining, but it's been shown that women play a major role in who takes office. What would happen if we came together like teammates this time around?

As we near the start of the 2024 Olympics, I see how we can all come together through sport. Those of us who may not be the most patriotic light up at the sight of the USA uniform alongside those who shout “USA USA” no matter where they are in the world. Imagine what we as a nation could accomplish if we respect each other enough to discover that we may all want the same things. Maybe our dreams aren’t so different, and even if they are, what is the harm in living with people who live differently from you?