The Price She Pays

"No matter the sport, the message to girls and women is the same: be aggressive, but not too aggressive. Win at all costs, but be polite while doing it. Get strong, but not too big. Female athletes have long been conditioned to perform under these standards, gracefully and without complaints. Yet, behind the scenes, female athletes are suffering from disordered eating and substance use; depression and anxiety; emotional and sexual abuse; racism and discrimination; self-harm; and even suicide ideation. When global tennis star Naomi Osaka and gymnastics world champion Simone Biles took breaks from competing to tend to their mental health, many were compelled to ask: what is causing this mental health crisis in women's sports? In this [book], Katie Steele and Dr. Tiffany Brown illuminate where we are going wrong--and how we can correct course"--