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Beating Bullies: Diana Taurasi on Bullying
Basketball – Olympic gold medalist, WNBA Phoenix Mercury player, three-time NCAA champion
Pretty much everyone has been on both sides of the bully thing. Even me. On the court, I’ve always been on top of my game. But when it came to elementary school, I wasn’t always a hotshot. One year, there was this kid who tortured me. He was a “cool” guy and thought he was just the jam. For two weeks straight, he stole my money every single day. And I gave it to him. I started to get all scared and wouldn’t walk down certain halls, trying to avoid him. I wasn’t myself, always looking over my shoulder. That’s what I hated about it. It’s not just that moment that you get bullied, but how that fear affects your whole day.
Anyhow, one day, I just decided I wasn’t going to be pushed around anymore. When he tried to get my money, I told him no. And I didn’t back down. It was awesome. The second I stood up to him, he left me alone.
I won’t pretend to be perfect, though. There are times when I’ve been a bully, too. One time, this kid came to play on my court. I thought he was a jerk, so I didn’t let him play. I made him go find another park to play at. Everyone does stuff they regret, though. That’s how you learn.
Believe it or not, bullying even happens in the WNBA. Physical players take advantage of smaller players. Sometimes emotions get out of hand on the court and people take stuff personally. But it’s different then when you’re a kid. No one loses sleep over it as an adult in the pros.
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Hear WNBA Star Temeka Johnson talk about confidence in her SportsReel video "Big Heart Baller" in the Gym!
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Want my advice? If you’re being a bully, quit it. Be strong without stepping on other people. If you’re being picked on by a mean kid, you have to stand up for yourself. It’s not easy. It won’t be comfortable, but you need to set a standard for how you want to be treated. If you don’t stand up for yourself when you’re young, you grow up getting used to people walking all over you. Confidence is like a muscle. If you want to be strong, you gotta work on building your confidence muscle every day.
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