As a Chicago-born sports journalist with deep roots in Black American culture, I’ve watched athletes carry the weight of systemic failure. This isn’t about trophies—it’s about what we refuse to silence: the cost of winning at any price. In this piece, I explore why we only understand a player’s pain after the final whistle—and why true victory begins when we stop pretending. You won’t find justice in a scoreboard, but you might find it in their eyes.