MIND GAMES: As baseball Hall-of-Famer Yogi Berra once said: "[Sports] is 90% mental; the other half is physical...".

• Author: Vatz, Richard E.
• Position: Simone Biles

Over the summer, a People magazine cover trumpeted, The greatest gymnast of ail time makes history at the Tokyo Olympics by putting her mental health first."

On its website, National Public Radio stated, "U.S. superstar gymnast Simone Biles will not compete in the uneven bars or vault individual finals... after pulling out of the team and all-around finals to focus on her mental health." Biles subsequently won a bronze medal on the balance beam.

Thus began an avalanche of people who saw the issue of Biles pulling out of selected competitions as proof of their political philosophies, liberal and conservative, as well as their theories concerning mental health and mental illness. For her part, Biles stated that it was important to "put mental health first. ... If you dont, you will not enjoy your sport."

Former First Lady Michelle Obama supporBvely tweeted, "Am I good enough? Yes, I am. The mantra I practice daily. We are proud of you and we are rooting for you."

Outkick's Clay Travis and others were having none of it: 'This Simone Biles story to me is about making quitting not only acceptable but 'heroic,' 'praiseworthy,' and evident of how 'brave' she is."

As always, MSNBC anchor Nicole Wallace pulled her punches, as she found the problem in the racial whiteness of Biles' critics: "It is soul-crushing to see a little pocket of doughy white right-leaning losers who probably have a hard time getting dates attack her."

Let us offer another perspective. Dealing with psychological stress is an integral part of eveiy sport. It is why powerful tennis players who make shots in practice miss those same shots in the actual matches; mentally tough quarterback Tom Brady leads his team to championships into his 40s; Hall-of-Fame outfielder Roberto Clemente always played his best under pressure.

Biles is a great athlete, compromised to a degree by her psychological problems in living under stress. She neither should be revered nor reviled for her pulling out when stress robbed her of her confidence.

Some athletes would have pulled out of competition or the sport themselves when they felt overwhelmed. Others are tough enough that they never get "spooked." Still others feel the pressure as self-fulfilling prophecy when their teammates announce they feel the pressure. Then there are athletes who become more motivated when competitors "play with their heads."

Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Steve Blass, a teammate of Clemente, was a successful hurler for the Bucs...