Warning: I am pissed and have had three glasses of wine.
Simone Biles is one of, if not THE, most talented, proven, driven, and accomplished gymnasts of all time.
Of. All. Time.
But now, there is controversy. You see, Ms. Biles withdrew from the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, citing her mental health.
People are being real douche canoes about this, saying that she "let America down", that "she needs to suck it up", and "she knew what she was signing up for" when she tried out for the Olympic gymnastic team.
First of all, America: Simone Biles DOESN'T OWE YOU SHIT.
She is not performing for your entertainment. She has given most of her life to training, developing routines, watching her diet, and worrying about a myriad of other things involved when a person wants to be an Olympic-contender. She has been in the spotlight, and under a magnifying glass, for years upon years.
What is the problem, you ask? Spoiled rotten American fans. Why else would what is probably an overweight blowhard with a Twitter account and nimble thumbs disparage this young, talented role model because she decided to protect her mental health? Americans take their entertainment VERY seriously. Exhibit A is the amount of money professional athletes make when they fill stadiums. Exhibit B is the salary of American actors and actresses who are considered "A" list. Exhibit C is is a term that America coined: "armchair quarterback". It describes those asshats who think they know better than the paid professionals in positions of authority and making decisions. It, of course refers to sports (and here I refer you back to Exhibit A). There is no term for an "armchair doctor", so I assume said asshats know they can't offer advice on a triple bypass. No, it's just where entertainment is concerned. The asshats want to win. All the time. Regardless of the toll on players.
And that brings me to Kerri Strug, who, in the 1996 Olympics, performed a vault jump despite the fact that she had an injured ankle. Here is how it went:
In the time interval between Strug's two vaults, she asked, "Do we need this?" Bela Károlyi (her coach) replied, "Kerri, we need you to go one more time. We need you one more time for the gold. You can do it, you better do it." Strug thus limped slightly to the end of the runway to make her second attempt. She landed the vault briefly on both feet, almost instantly hopping onto only her good foot, saluting the judges. She then collapsed onto her knees and needed assistance off the landing platform, to which sportscaster John Tesh commented, "Kerri Strug is hurt! She is hurt badly." The completed vault received a score of 9.712, mathematically guaranteeing the Americans the gold medal, though while it was not known at the time with Roza Galieva of Russia having not yet completed her floor routine, the Americans would still have won the gold by a margin of 0.309 points had Strug not performed a second vault.
She didn't need to do it. America would have won the gold regardless. But her coach, whom she trusted to have her best interest in mind, pushed her to do it. And she did. Bela went on to coach many more gymnasts, but Strug had to retire early. His decision ruined her gymnastic career. And America lauded her a hero.
A hero. Bela carried her to the podium because she couldn't walk. Because she couldn't fucking WALK.
Dominique Moceanu, another gymnast, said that she never had a say in her health during the Olympics. “I was 14 [years old with] a tibial stress fracture, left alone w/ no cervical spine exam after this fall. I competed in the Olympic floor final minutes later,” Moceanu wrote. She compared it to jumping into a pool with no water.
Anything for a win, right Joe America?
So, shut the FUCK up, American citizen, about Simone Biles. She owes you nothing. You have NO say. You have NO platform. You are everything that is wrong with American greed, selfishness, and the desire to always be number one.
Sit down and shut the fuck up. Asshat.
Comments