The average American might not remember specific details (although I think many can remember it was swimming, running, gym, etc) but I don't think that changes the pressure on them at all. They dedicate their entire lives to it. She in particular is the face of her whole sport and does have a lot of kids who idolize her. That and the pressure of living up to having won 4 gold medals in one games is crazy.
I'm with CWM. These athletes not only have the "weight" of America on their shoulders but have worked
extremely hard to be in the top 15-20 of their sport just to make it to something that only happens every 4 years. Then, if they are the best like a Michael Phelps or Simone Biles, the expectation is Gold Medal with a record-setting performance on top of that.
Also, those athletes who do win Gold Medals, especially if they are notable names after the fact, become icons for that entire country. You
know the names of Women's National Soccer Team players. You
know Kerri Strug, Dominique Moceanu, Simone Biles, Michael Phelps, Carl Lewis, Michael Johnson, Picabo Street, etc. Even if you don't know the specific event they won, you know they won a Gold Medal for that country. I'm sure this goes for Australia, Japan, China, New Zealand, Russia, etc. too.
"I think Olympic athletes from the US have an outsized expectation of what people think of them and what pressure they’re under. This ain’t like the NBA. People ain’t on you like that."
And I'd argue the
people may not be on them but the expectations are legitimately huge for a reason. There is a reason the U.S. Men's Basketball team gets such focus during the Olympics and it ain't about their NBA talent on the court. It's about beating teams and taking home the Gold Medal, period. Anything less is seen as a failure. Do you think the '92 Dream Team would be as remembered if they just won a Bronze Medal back then?