The Pursuit of Excellence is a metanarrative I am most familiar with. The value of striving for excellence, achievements personally and in a team, and pushing your limits is something that I believe is key in sports and in life in general. The Pursuit of Excellence is essential because it embodies the essence of development, discipline, and human potential. Athletes who strive for excellence are pushed to go beyond their comfort zones, which promotes both individual and team success. It fosters an attitude of constant progress, in which failures are viewed as opportunities for learning and all efforts are directed toward achieving greater performance levels. The pursuit of excellence in sport is more than just winning; it’s about pushing the limits of what the human body and mind are capable of, encouraging others to follow suit, and leaving a legacy of determination, perseverance and self-mastery.

Being aware if these assumptions and metanarratives is especially important, I would argue, because of the centrality of sport to our everyday lives, the role that sport plays in shaping our childhood and worldviews is massive. As someone who has lived the life of an athlete, I can vouch for the significant influence sports have on forming people’s worldviews and on children’s development. I can vouch for the significant influence sports have on forming people’s worldviews and on children’s development because I have lived the life of an athlete. Sports offer us priceless life skills from an early age that go well beyond the playing fields. They instill discipline, resilience, and the capacity to work persistently and intently toward goals. Competition teaches us to respect others regardless of their background or ability level and to deal with both success and defeat. Sports create a feeling of community and belonging, which frequently serves as the basis for networks and connections that last a lifetime. Sports offer a powerful lens in which we learn qualities that shape not only our childhood but our worldviews as adults.

Simone Biles is consider to be the best gymnast in the world. At the 2020 olympics after warming up on vault she ended up dropping out of the competition due to her mental health. She has what is called the “twisties” which is when a gymnast is in the air and does not have that mind body connection and not knowing where they are in the air, this can create for serious physical injuries. After the olympics Simone used her huge platform to advocate for mental health. By sharing her story, Simone made mental health issues in sports less stigmatized and demonstrated that self-care is just as important as physical ability. By highlighting the value of mental health as a human right and advocating for a more accepting, caring attitude to athletic performance, this initiative connects with larger social justice movements. Simone’s bravery in speaking out about mental health has sparked conversations about how social pressures, especially those faced by marginalized groups/athletes, can impact wellbeing. In the end, this has connected mental health to the greater struggle for equality, access, and the dismantling of harmful expectations in sports and other fields.

Feminism to me means advocating for women’s rights, equality/equity for women and giving women opportunities. Although I am a woman, feminism does not mean much to me. I find that sometimes feminism today is more of attempting to advantage women at the expense of men and hating on men. As of 2025, there is still inequalities between men and women but there is a much smaller gap. My opinion is not that all feminist hate men and that women have to much advantage at all because I do believe in equality and equity. I just think that we have to consider the progress that has been made over the years and how stereotypes can affect men and women, like the stereotype that women are to be at home, cooking, cleaning and nurturing. This stereotype, while it can be discriminating to women, can also confine men to work, look down on if they take care of the children/stay at home dads.

When I see this photo I see a powerful demonstration of early feminism. I think the intention at the time was to encourage women to enter the workforce and fill positions that had previously been filled by men. In a world where men predominate, the image represents women’s ability to work hard, be resilient, and be empowered—qualities that are frequently denied to them. I see it as a turning point when society began to acknowledge the strength and unrealized potential of women. It seems like a quiet but unquestionable statement of independence, implying that women might not only “do what was asked of them” at the time but also question the roles and restrictions imposed upon them. That makes it seem like an early stage of feminist consciousness, one that saw the need for and viability of women’s equality.