Missy Franklin - The Sage

SWIMMING - BACKSTROKE - TEAM USA

ARCHETYPE: THE SAGE

Day 28/135

Athletic Accomplishments

At the 2012 Olympic Games, Missy Franklin’s name and big, radiant smile were everywhere. At age 17, she was the breakout swimming star of the year, claiming 5 medals: 4 gold, including a sweep of the backstroke events (100m and 200m), and a bronze.

She followed that up with a record six gold medals in seven events at the 2013 World Championships.

Franklin’s future looked bright. Shiny. Golden, even.

But by 2016, she started experiencing back spasms and slowing down in the pool. While she did make the Olympic team for other events, Franklin had gone from record-breaking Olympic champion in the 100m backstroke to not even qualifying to compete for Team USA in that event.

At the 2016 Olympics in Rio, she did not make the 200m backstroke or freestyle finals. Her only medal was a gold for the 4 x 200m freestyle relay. (LOL — only a gold medal.)

By 2018, Franklin retired. Today, she says she can barely swim for longer than 20 or 30 minutes because of shoulder and back pain. So, what happened? And as sports fans, should we be sad for her, or celebrate the legendary success she did have? Both?

Character Archetype: The Sage

The more I read about Missy Franklin’s swimming career, the more pissed off I get. Because at age 16, she was SMASHING the competition and world records at the 2012 London Olympics. Four gold medals? Unreal.

But by age 18, the pencil-pushing hypocrites of the NCAA forced Franklin to decide between going pro—an estimated $5 million in earnings—and swimming at the University of California. Franklin wanted to be part of a team, so she chose Cal. That meant she couldn’t work with an agent, so her mom—a physician with her own life and career—was managing requests for appearances and NCAA compliance nitpicking.

Moreover, Cal’s team already had decent backstrokers—not on Franklin’s level, but good enough to win. So, Franklin swam other events, no longer focusing her training on her primary strength.

So, is it any wonder that Franklin started to decline right around this time? When she no longer had the autonomy to make the decisions that were best for herself, her training, and her career? When the NCAA, a “non-profit” organization that used Franklin’s face and likeness to promote swimming, started incessantly knocking with compliance questions?

Burnout. Let’s talk about it. Or, let’s let Missy Franklin, our Sage friend who has learned the hard way, talk about it.

We expect too much of our athletes. They have to be heroes, legends, an inspiration to little kids everywhere. They have to be present in the pool and in the community. All we have to do is sit back and watch though, right? That’s our whole entire responsibility.