By

S.J Asher

Daily writing prompt

Name the professional athletes you respect the most and why.

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Grit and defiance. That’s what I respect.

Naomi Osaka. Silent warrior. Fought the press with silence. She dared to say: “I’m not okay.” That takes guts. Real guts.

Simone Biles. Gravity doesn’t apply to her, but expectations do. Crushed under their weight, she chose herself. In Tokyo, she flew away from the bars, away from our hungry eyes. That’s strength beyond muscles. Chose herself over gold. Real strength.

Colin Kaepernick. Knelt. World shook. Sacrifice echoes still.

Megan Rapinoe. Purple hair and a middle finger to the status quo. She kicks balls and shatters ceilings. Equal pay? She demanded it, fought for it, won it. Not just for her, for all of them.

These athletes. Not puppets. Not machines. Humans. Raw. Real.

They bend. Break. Vanish. Stand tall.

That’s the sport I respect. The human kind.

The rest? Just games.