Women's pro peloton member Heidi Franz of the Rally Cycling team posted on Twitter that she was "mocked and bullied" during the latter portion of stage 9 of the Giro Donne on July 10. Cycling News linked to Franz's Twitter post.
What exactly, in this case at least, is being "mocked and bullied"? At all levels of every sport trash talk and verbal humiliation are everyday occurrences. If some sort of physical abuse took place it's another matter but she doesn't mention if any fellow competitors spit on her or pushed her off the road.
Lately we've been hearing a lot about "bullying" and sports. A world-class Korean girl was banished from the country's national volleyball team for past "bullying". She then managed to secure a position on a foreign team and people are outraged about that. She must be made to suffer.
It looks like an Ohio hockey player will be denied the opportunity to play in the NHL because he bullied a classmate with developmental disabilities when he was in the eighth grade. The details, if true, are disgusting but anyone that's ever gone to public school knows that there's nothing especially unusual about bullying in that environment. It does, after all, have its resemblances to a prison situation. The major difference in this situation is that it took place outside the parameters of the sport itself.
Rather than commiserate with Franz's complaint we should encourage her to respond in kind. Her competitors will show her more respect.
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