Posted on 07/29/2021 9:20:39 AM PDT by Kaslin
Simone Biles is an American hero.
She is not a hero for pulling out of these (likely her last) Olympics.
Rather she is a hero for everything she’s done leading up to these Olympics where stunningly impressive athletic specimens like Charlie Kirk, Seth Dillon & Matt Walsh have mercilessly hammered her. Without mercy and with a bit too much glee they are engaging a fight for fight’s sake. They are also either purposefully ignoring or ignorantly unaware of some rather important relevant facts.
One of the most simple of which is, do they have even an inkling of what it is to propel oneself at speeds of up to 30 miles per hour down a runway and launch yourself 20 feet in the air and not severely injure your spine in doing so?
This seems reasonably important as now overwhelming numbers of fellow gymnasts are weighing in. The consensus by competitors and allies alike is that the vault that Biles attempted to perform—and the poor execution of how she performed it—very likely could have blown her knee, snapped her spine, paralyzed her for life or worse. The only thing that allowed her to avoid it was the extreme skill it took to land herself as best she could. Many of the world’s top gymnasts have experienced what Biles did, some did not come out without severe outcomes. All those who know, including her USA teammates were both frightened for her, then greatly relieved when she was able to walk back to the bench. Yet in the face of such danger Charlie Kirk not only called Biles a sociopath on his radio show, he then doubled down posting the clip to his social media. He even went so far as to title the clip on Instagram: “Charlie Kirk takes down selfish Simone Biles after disgraceful Olympic decision.”
Perhaps the biggest reason Kirk, Dillon, Walsh and others should cease their criticisms of Biles also has to do with truly understanding Biles’ contribution to the sport. For comparison imagine the NFL next year deciding to allow any touchdown pass thrown by Tom Brady was worth only 4 points—only because it was thrown by Brady. Or for Michael Jordan every poetic shot or powerful dunk being worth only 1 point again because it was Jordan who did it. These are the equivalent measures the International Olympic Committee had taken purely because Biles had mastered the hardest aspects of the sport with such expertise. She has not only attempted elements, endings, and moves never before tried by women—she’s mastered them. If she was scored fairly on most of her apparatuses she’d be 2 full points ahead on nearly every attempt.
It would also appear that Kirk, Dillon, Walsh and others do not understand the virtue in giving up personal ambition for the sake of the larger good. Even with an entire system rigged against her Biles competed and prepared hard to go all out for these Olympic Games. On her way to Tokyo she set new historical precedents. In doing so she also set herself up to make more history at the games. A more selfish teammate would have arrogantly shrugged off the miss on the most difficult vault being attempted and convinced themselves of their “right” to press on regardless of how it impacted the rest of her team. But Biles knew something was a miss. In her highly criticized press conference following the team competition Biles indicated that she had had a hard time getting the mental clarity that she had previously depended on to perform (with near perfection) her dangerous routines. For more than five hours before the competition she had been unable to rest, think clearly, and mentally prepare. Her hunch that something was “off” became evident in her single vault. Her score telling the true story. Scoring the fourth lowest score of the night and scoring so badly that she already perhaps had cost Team USA the gold, she had no personal desire to force her poor performance into the team score of the rest of her teammates. By doing so she allowed the remaining three to come very close to grabbing the gold despite her dangerously executed poor vault. With likely equally dangerous routines planned for beam and floor routine she and only she could make the decision.
Kirk, Dillon, Walsh and others also seemed to have no real sense of what Simone Biles has already accomplished, and continues to stand for. In her youthful mid-twenties, in her tiny but powerful body Simone Biles has more world Championships than Michael Jordan & Tom Brady combined. She stands alone as the single most accomplished athlete in her sport full stop. She has perfected moves that 99% of male gymnasts refuse to attempt. And she has done all of it with her hand on heart, wrapped in the flag, grateful to bring her nation honor. Even when controversy swooped in on her teammate in Rio, Biles saluted her flag and represented her nation with pride.
And she always has…
"Simone Biles has been making America and Houston proud for YEARS. She has been the woman in the arena, a place that internet trolls know nothing about," Congressman Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) tweeted. "We can be disappointed in her decision, but until you’re the one stepping up to win gold, maybe sit this one out."
Based on how they responded, Simone Biles’ teammates knew exactly why she withdrew from the competition. Secretly deep inside she knows the pain she feels at not being able to add to her medal count.
So because she has overcome every obstacle in front of her on her way to 19 titles. Because she was victimized by the sexual abuser that traumatized so many Olympians. Because the entire sport rigged itself in an effort to purposefully discourage her. Because that same sport even went so far as to single her out and punish her. Because she has accomplished thousands of successful attempts at dangerous and life threatening moves away from the cameras just to be her best. Because she salutes her flag every time she wins. Because she put her team’s goals above her own with her selfless actions. Because of all of these things and the many moments of genuine amazement she has instilled in the next generation of gymnasts. And because she is simply the greatest of all time…
Charlie Kirk please STOP calling her sociopath.
And to Kirk, Dillon, Walsh and others who claim to fight the fight for what is true, just, and good everyday, extend a bit of grace and mercy, as Christians it’s best thing you could do.
That and apologize for the horrid things you’ve said about her this week.
You owe her that.
In 1988 I was still fighting nationally and Taekwondo. In January of 1988, at the elite athletes championship in Colorado Springs, I competed in one of the elimination type tournaments that they have trying to see who is going to be the best competition for the national team for 1988 in Seoul Korea. I lost my flight that day and knew that 4 years later at the next Olympics I was going to be 32 years old and would not be able to keep up with a lightning-fast twenty-two-year-old. So I retired from fighting and I went to college. For all these people that want to scream about Simone biles dropping out they never had to know what the fight was just to get to the top, then to stay at the top, another one I act like they know all about being a National Champion and World Champion like she has. Charlie Kirk is a blowhard and sells mat walls and these people need to realize that she’s done more in her lifetime athletically than they ever will in their own imagination. They need to shut their mouths and just congratulate her for being who she was.
Show me the list of your accomplishments that made you and national champion in any sport at any time in your life. Cuz if you don’t have anything to say on that shut up.
I didn’t say he was a libtard.
I said he was acting like an idiot and that’s what libtards do.
He’s not supposed to be an idiot so he should take a break and clean up his dirty baseless attacks or stick to politics.
Did you quit on your teammates and then stick them with having to struggle to get the Silver?
Nah. I will continue to excercise my God given right to speak my mind and voice my opinion.
Now, why don’t you have a Coke and a smile, sit down and go back to your mental masturbation.
And Simone Biles still sucks.
--Mary Pilon
If Charlie Jerk wants to join the mob mentality and slander people needlessly for fun he should go to MSNBC.
Well dumbass, if you’re in last place, that means the team is out of the medals. She leaves, and the team gets Silver. It was a TEAM event. Still think she should have hung around and dragged her team to the bottom?
Should she have stuck with her teammates and dragged them out of the medals instead?
Worth reading. I learned things from the article.
“If she really has a mental health issue ...”
That medical term is over-used. I say she lost some of her confidence and spirit. I’d say it’s not a lapse in mental health. It’s a reaction all of can have in certain situations.
Compare an Olympic gymnast with a chef? That is the best you can come up with? I won’t compare an internet poster with a literary scholar, so don’t worry.
So true. The arm chair quarterbacks who never played a sport beyond gradeschool, have no idea what it takes to compete at the highest levels. They say the NBA doesn't play defense. They couldn't get a shot off against an NBA player.
” I say she lost some of her confidence and spirit. “
I think that gets into semantics. Confidence is in the mind, and lack thereof isn’t healthy in a dangerous, very visible sport.
She’s a human. If she had said she was out because America is racist, I’d say bash away. If she quit because she couldn’t do it, wasn’t sure, was afraid, whatever, that’s her choice. Olympians aren’t representing me. My life is no different if they win or lose.
I think the bottom line is, Biles has a serious problem. I don’t think she quit because it was going to be fun to quit. If she felt so bad that she had to quit, I say leave her alone, let her try to heal.
“Compare an Olympic gymnast with a chef?”
No, a chef with someone eating at a restaurant. It wasn’t that difficult to grasp. If you can’t grasp basic analogies, maybe you need to do more reading and less posting.
“That is the best you can come up with?”
Not everyone deserves my best. Poor assumption on your part.
Simone Biles is an American hero.
Alvin York is a hero.
Audie Murphy is a hero.
911 firefighters and police are heroes.
Simone Biles is not. She may be or was a great gymnast but she is not a hero.
She’s a competitor who is famous because she competes IN FRONT OF SPECTATORS.
I’m a civil engineer by trade. If I design a bridge and it collapses one day after it opens, I’m not going to sit there and whine that “you have no idea how hard it is to design a bridge” when people rightly point out that I did a terrible job.
Have you ever played High School sports? College? If not, you know not of what you speak.
Show me the list of your accomplishments that made you and national champion in any sport at any time in your life. Cuz if you don’t have anything to say on that shut up.
Show me the list of your accomplishments that made you and national champion in any sport at any time in your life. Cuz if you don’t have anything to say on that shut up.
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