Brave Is Not a Compliment: Rethinking How We Cover the Paralympics
Why is hardship always the headline?
I’ve asked the same question for years — first as a Paralympian, now as editor-in-chief of Sports N Spokes. Every Paralympic cycle, the answer stares back at me from my screen.
To be clear, progress is real. The 2024 Paris Paralympics delivered record global distribution and unprecedented viewing hours, helping shift public attitudes toward adaptive sports. Some broadcasters are starting to frame Paralympians as high-performance athletes rather than objects of pity. Social media has given athletes space to tell their own stories, unfiltered and unapologetic.
And yet, despite that progress, the so-called “Paralympic paradox” persists.
When Olympians compete, we talk about speed, power, rivalries, records and gold medals.
When Paralympians compete, we talk about car crashes, cancer, battlefield injuries.
Before viewers learn about split times or defensive schemes, they’re handed a diagnosis. The performance is world-class, but the story centers on tragedy. The athlete is elite, yet the coverage insists on reminding us why they’re “brave.”
Yes, those narratives move people and they generate clicks. They follow a predictable arc: Suffering comes first, followed by resilience and finally redemption. It’s a proven formula.
But when hardship leads every profile, disability becomes the headline instead of context. Training is reduced to a montage, and the athlete becomes an inspiration first and a contender second.
We don’t do this to Olympians. An Olympian who grew up in poverty or survived an injury isn’t defined by that chapter in his or her life. The backstory adds dimension, but it doesn’t justify the athlete’s presence in the rink or on the field.
So why do we do it here?
Because framing Paralympians as people who “overcame” makes nondisabled audiences comfortable. It packages disability as a problem to be solved and ties the story up neatly. It masks a deeper truth: Disability is not merely a tragedy, but it is an essential aspect of human diversity.
And Paralympic sport is high-performance competition, not recreational therapy.
When you watch the 2026 Games in Italy, you’ll see a sit-skier attack a downhill course at 60 mph. You’ll see a para ice hockey power play dismantle a defense with surgical precision. These athletes are not participating for perspective — they are competing to win.
When coverage defaults to sentiment, consequences follow. Sponsors invest in heartwarming moments instead of sustained excellence. Broadcasters cue inspirational montages instead of breaking down tactics. Audiences are invited to admire courage rather than appreciate craft.
Simply put, we need better stories about sport.
So here’s the ask: Journalists, lead with performance. Break down the strategy, analyze the margins and interrogate the matchups. Let emotion rise from rivalry and risk, not from a medical chart.
The Paralympics are not a charity event. They are elite sport. Cover them that way.
As always, please share your thoughts at al@pvamag.com