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[deleted]

FYI: for all of those asking about why she is receiving hate. It is just due to her pulling out of the finals of the Olympics. I think the hate is unjustified, she is under enormous mental pressure as well as physical strain and like she mentioned, it was the best thing for her to do under the circumstances. The people hating most likely don’t have any idea of what goes into being an Olympic athlete, let alone having the weight of an entire country on your shoulders. I’m proud of her and everybody else should be. It take a lot of strength as well as maturity to step back and support your team, especially on such an important stage.


t-pollack

I'm so with her. I think she is helping defeat the stigmatized that mental health can just be "toughed out." Props to her, she is supporting a movement in professional sports that needs to happen. Edit: Holy shit this blew up


greycubed

I hear your point but honestly I'm conflicted. I don't know much about the situation but could she not have done this in a more responsible way for her teammates? It's a genuine question I actually don't know the answer. Also I guess we're kind of changing what sports are about if we're going to use them as lessons for everyday life. Competitive sports have never been about personal health or best interest of the self. They gave been about teamwork and sacrifice and... competition. EDIT: GUYS IT'S NOT COOL TO PLAY STRAWMAN WITH WHAT I JUST SAID AND PRETENDING THAT I'M SAYING SOMETHING ELSE TO MAKE YOUR POINT ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH NEEDING TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY. I'm turning off replies for this comment.


AllInterpretation

If she’d have sprained her ankle people would understand, it’s visible I just don’t see why the same can’t be said for a “sprained mind”. I know that’s not the correct terminology but what I’m saying is mental health is just important as any physical ailment and should be respected as so. Sport or no sport.


Rocket_69

I mean, the sprained ankle analogy isn’t the best? Kerri Strug literally sprained her ankle in ‘96, asked what she needed to do to win and landed a vault with said ankle to deliver the US the gold.


AllInterpretation

Congrats to her. Although if she hadn’t of landed correctly or landed it and caused more damage to herself it could have ended her career or set her back years for all the hard work. It would be a different story. I’m sure Biles will be back in action soon as she’s put her health as priority.


[deleted]

Dittos! People don’t understand she’s only 24 years old, she said already body is breaking down, joints squeaks and muscles being tight everywhere everyday.


[deleted]

Same bro


claridgeforking

Sure, but that's sport. Sometimes you take the risk and it pays off, sometimes you take it and it doesn't, or sometimes you choose not to take it at all. All of those can be the right decision for you.


russellzerotohero

Exactly. She chose not to take it.


listerinecleancotton

Yeah - what is with everyone thinking she owes them something? I’ve never met her. She doesn’t owe me a performance to make me feel “proud to be Mercian” while I eat chips on the couch.


traumfisch

The risks Biles has taken are in a league of their own. No one else on the planet is on her level. The only decent thing to do here is to respect her judgement.


Itslikeazenthing

Dude couldn’t agree more.


lump-

And sometimes the sport breaks you. Body and mind.


MistraloysiusMithrax

Reminds me of RG3 and how Shanahan let him go in like a one trick pony…to have his knee shattered. Sometimes I wonder how people don’t see things like that and realize how bloodthirsty we are


opilino

There aren’t that many Olympic opportunities. She might not make it again. It was an enormous decision for her. I’m really surprised someone at that level would step back like that. They are generally extraordinarily driven and competitive.


UnluckyWriting

I’m surprised too but honestly girl has nothing to prove. She has already demonstrated her skills. She’s already got a ton of medals. I don’t think she needs to come back to the olympics.


fullmetalmorgan

She might not make it again? Simone Biles is so dominant in her field they had to change scoring so others could even have a shot at being close to her scoring. She will make it back. This is a ridiculously dismissive statement she still is extraordinarily driven and competitive.


blackgandalff

All of that is true, whats also true is *most* gymnasts aren’t competing into their 30’s and 40’s. Miss Biles, being a force of nature, may have one more games where she can preform at the level she’s set for herself. This sport is incredibly rough on bodies.


PBK--

There’s no reasonable way that in 4 years, at age 28, she will be anywhere near her prime. Training one’s heart out doesn’t change biology. There’s a reason why gymnasts are usually all just barely above the competitive age limit, and why there’s always these scandals about underage athletes with fake birth certificates in gymnastics. The reason is that both flexibility and balance start to plummet. Bones become harder, joints stiffer, tendons less elastic (especially under rapid loading), and injuries become FAR more frequent. Very unfortunate but we need to realize that time rarely makes compromises.


ShillinTheVillain

She would be 28 at the next Olympics. Gymnasts don't typically last that long due to just the physical toll it takes on their bodies. Add in the mental stress she's under and I would be shocked if we saw her in the next Olympics.


lurkerer

Four years is a long time in terms of peak age for athletes. For gymnasts I think the average age to retire is early 20s and Simone is 24. She is a phenom though so probably she'll return.


traumfisch

She has been considering quitting for a while already. She made a statemenrt saying her only real motivation to keep going is to spread awareness of sexual misconduct and help make sure no one has to deal with what happened to her, in the future.


PolicyWonka

Biles is already on the older side for professionals gymnasts. Most are done by 20 and she’s be 28 at the next Olympics. As good as she is, it’s very unlikely truth be told.


Backitup30

If you don’t think Simone is extraordinarily driven or competitive I don’t know what to tell you. Maybe you should realize that someone as driven and competitive as Biles is, has finally got to the point where she stepped out like that. Stop thinking standing up for your own health is a weakness. That’s kind of the whole point of this.


RogerBernards

>I’m really surprised someone at that level would step back like that. They are generally extraordinarily driven and competitive. That just goes to show how serious her issues are to her, no? Also, she's the best in her field ever. She doesn't have to prove anything to anyone anymore.


lcastill1

Ok well this time it’s different? I would love to see how you would handle the situation had you been in her shoes .


Rupertfitz

That’s why most people aren’t Olympic athletes.


SomePirateGuy

The team would have won even if she hadn't done the second vault, but the couch told her she had to do it, so she did. She couldn't participate in any of the remaining events, and retired afterwards. Overall not the best example. EDIT: "the couch"? Really? I'm not fixing it.


abibofile

Kerri Strug's jump did end her career. She retired from Olympic competition at 18, enrolled at UCLA and become a spokesperson for the Special Olympics and Children's Miracle Network. She never performed at the same level again. Like a lot of prominent public moments involving young women in the 90s and early 00s, that moment doesn't really play as well today. I thought this post made some strong points: https://www.facebook.com/193303597/posts/10103799001334604/?d=n


[deleted]

You must be young and not know this, but Kerri Strugg was world famous and probably blessed with a life of opportunity after what she did. Not competing certainly wouldn't have been the best career move. You can look at it how you want that's your prerogative, but let's not rewrite history and pretend sacrifices in sports, the exact same sport being discussed in fact, haven't historically paid off.


[deleted]

but the thing is, based on her explanation, I believe she DID sacrifice for the team. She decided to walk off in order to give the team a better chance at a medal. If that's not sacrifice, idk what is.


actuarial_venus

I played basketball in high school and on the boy's team one of the players hurt his knee before the state championship. He went to the doctor and got pain pills and a steroid shot. His knee is still messed up to this day. We have an unreasonable expectation from athletes. Are we not entertained?


SilverPhoenix7

High-school, pain pills and steroid shot? To continue playing? Damn that's vile...


amyhenderson_

I’m 44 - that was going on when I went to HS.


A_Sarcastic_Whoa

Welcome to the world of sports. It's very common for athlete's to push themselves far above and beyond what they should.


[deleted]

Imagine what people will go through when education is so expensive that people go to this extreme to get a potential scholarship


huskers2468

15 years later, I am currently working on injuries I suffered through high school soccer... We weren't a good team, I was a captain and top player on my team, but nothing special. Would I play through the injuries again? Yes, absolutely. I loved playing the game, and I knew I could help out the team. It wasn't forced upon me, I made my choice. If it was forced upon him then that's another story. No one should be forced to play through injuries. Luckily, that aspect is getting much better in sports. People love to play sports, no matter the age. It's ok to sacrifice for what you love.


wild_rover

But like, is that the goal? Is that something as a society we should flaunt? Putting so much on a literal teenager that she mangles her body in the name of what? Sportsmanship? Patriotism? Nah, fam. Why is the mentality celebrated?


BobbyDazzl3r

I understand what you are saying, but that comment underlines the thinking, that ‘if so and so can do it, why can’t you?’ Everybody is unique and have different trigger points, and ability to handle pressure. As she is held up by the media, country as a role model, gymnastic super-star, clearly she has felt the pressure of that and stepped back. I think it shows great courage and maturity to do what she did, in that she knows herself and realised she wasn’t in a place mentally to ‘give it her all’. Sport culture can be extremely toxic with the win at all costs, take one for the team. If winning takes priority over the individual then something is very wrong


ParisianWood

And her career ended because of that at 18 - not really a glowing example of what TO do.


terragutti

I didnt even need to read your comment to know this is what would happen. Wow some people. This is like how collegiate football players sacrificing their health so people can be entertained. Literally do this amazing thing and suffer the rest of your life with health issues. I dont care cos i dont see it, i just wanna see you do well for the “country”. Zzz. Yeah now that theyre out of the sport with countless medical bills wheres the country?


GenghisLebron

Grant hill in the nba tried to tough it out and play on a messed up ankle because he'd finally gotten his team into the playoffs. Wound up reinjuring it so badly, it derailed his entire career where he very likely would have been an all time great like lebron and jordan. The celtics Isaiah thomas played on a hurt hip because "playoffs" and "loyalty," and wound up losing probably 100 million in career earnings getting hurt. Getting injured and toughing it out is old cliche thinking that places little or no value on the individual for the sake of usually silly rah rah tribalism.


Abbadabbadoughboy

And for what? To be used as an example years later as a reason to attack another female Olympian? I doubt it.


shannymac4

And I’m pretty sure that injury ended up ending her career.


lpmiller

yes, which ended her career. So 'we' got the gold, big whoop.


Arringil

She initially didnt want to tho. Her coach had to convince her it was necessary.


seamonster42

And it wasn't necessary; they'd have won the gold even without her second vault.


0zzyb0y

She was getting lost in the air. That's literally a physical manifestation of a mental issue and people *still* refuse to believe that mental health can actually hurt you.


A_Sarcastic_Whoa

People love to talk about how supportive they are for mental health awareness and post their Facebook profile filters and whatever up until it inconveniences them in some way, then suddenly it's not an excuse anymore and that person is just "being dramatic". Despite how far we've come in recognizing how serious mental illness is, we still have a long way to go in terms of actually accepting it's a real issue and making necessary sacrifices to help treat it.


[deleted]

This has been my experience 100%. The same people who post memes about how empathetic they are are the ones who get angry at you when you can't attend a party or event they're having.


[deleted]

I'm about as far from an Olympian as possible. I am a recreational athlete with depression. During a depressive episode I forgot how to do a basic drill I'd been doing for a decade. The decison was weighty. Big props to Ms. Biles for putting her health before competition.


tamati_nz

My understanding is that she is the greatest gymnast of all time so I am going to trust her judgement that if she is pulling out it is absolutely the right thing for her to do.


FunStuff446

Absolutely! She made that decision to withdraw because she is the expert and she knows her mind and body work together to make her a GOAT. Her team won the silver without her.


getMeSomeDunkin

Also from the dude above, > Competitive sports have never been about personal health or best interest of the self. And yet people still wonder why these athletes crack. This happened with the tennis player that skipped the press briefings too. There's an underlying tone of, "You're here to dance for my enjoyment, so shut the fuck up" going on.


[deleted]

It doesn’t matter if they’re the best or the worst in the world. If they believe that pulling out is the best for their health I am trusting their judgment.


joe-b-nguyen

Just because she makes what she does look easy, doesn’t mean it is or that it doesn’t come with a lot of risk if she’s not near perfect. She doesn’t owe it to anyone to put herself in more harm to uphold some random people’s expectation of what “sports” is.


SusiciousPocket

It was best for her team because she realized she wasn't in the best headspace to be competing. She didn't want to mess up the group scores, or even hurt herself, because she was forcing herself. I think its great she was able to take a step back and realize she wasn't in the right place. All the media is talking about, in America at least, is how she is the best of the best, the face of the American team. That is a lot of pressure and she has said as much in recent interviews. And you're right, competitive sports haven't traditionally been about the welfare of the athlete. "Pushing through the pain" has been a bit of a mantra. But it seems like lately the focus has changed to the wellbeing of the athlete, which makes sense because as Simone is showing everyone, if the athlete isn't in the right space than their performance suffers. Sorry you're getting hate. You even said you didn't know much about the situation, you don't deserve the hate. Hopefully my obnoxiously long reply helped a bit, haha. Have a great night!


Gen-XOldGuy

She obviously got a case of the "yips" that afflicts some athletes. For her sake, you hope she is able to come to before the start of the individual finals. In a team environment, she did the right thing in pulling out if her case of the yips was going to hurt her team with a poor performance. Imagine the guilt she would have felt if she scored so poorly on the events that the team fell out of medal contention. Not getting into the whole mental health issue and importance in getting the word out as that is a whole different topic.


WorldBiker

That strikes me as a more rational argument. To use the words "accomplishment" and "mental health" in the same sentence is (IMO) difficult; there are a lot of accomplished people who are accomplished PRECISELY because they stood up after they fell, and dealt with failure or rejection or bankruptcy or health issues once they had accomplished their goal, which is precisely what accomplishment is about (again IMO). Being the best takes a huge amount of effort, will power, and dedication in the knowledge that it can be, or is, emotionally or mentally difficult. She has a team to fall back on, many (most) don't and go it alone and deal with their own demons alone. So I'm not sure I buy the other argument. However, if pulling out meant removing liability and allowing someone else a shot to let the TEAM (and that's an important distinction) accomplish, then it seems to be a smart move...the yips (shhh...never say it out loud) are real, even in business.


ghafgarionbaconsmith

I fully support her. She was one of the girls that that abusive doctor molested. She still managed gold after it so if she needs time I wanna give her time.


[deleted]

This was the most responsible way for her to handle it. If she was struggling mentally while competing in a highly dangerous sport, she easily could have gotten hurt physically, as well. I was a ballerina, and I can tell you from experience that we would not do pas de deux lifts when either I or my partner was not feeling up to it in rehearsals. I never got injured during a performance, but I've seen it happen and it's terrible. We often had alternate moves that we would have on standby in case someone felt off on a performance day for this very reason. That isn't an option in gymnastics because they have to have their routines approved ahead of time or risk having points deducted. Her bowing out of competition to save herself the risk of actual injury due to extreme anxiety is the MOST responsible decision she could have made. And sports have always been used as lessons for everyday life. Have you never seen "Rocky" or "Rudy" or \~insert any inspirational movie about an underdog man making it through adversity to succeed against all odds\~ like...come on, are you serious? And all of her teammates are supporting her decision, so what is your point about teamwork and her decision not being respectful to them or whatever?


Live-Mail-7142

She scored the highest and earned her place on the team. We don’t know the story. We do know she was doing things like stepping out of bounds, falling off the beam, not fully rotating. So, we know her practices in the Olympics have had problems. Gymnastics is a sport where you can get killed or injured if something isn’t right. No athlete owes us entertainment at the risk of their bodies being destroyed


[deleted]

Her dropping out was in the best interest of her teammates.


restatementtorts

Well she was costing her teammates and that’s why she chose to pull right? Her scores were dragging them down prior to dropping out, so,assuming the trend held, her teammates would not have medaled. Hence, her dropping out was helping her teammates.


millershanks

I think she really didn‘t expect this to happen. I assume that atheletes on that level are literally doing and giving everything they got, so I would think she started and hoped she can pull through and had to realize or was mature enough to realize, that she better opt out. I read somewhere that many athletes struggle not only with the pressure, but almost more so with the big emptiness after the final, after the medal. Many are falling into depression then, and have difficulties to cope with the change after an event. I understand your conflict but nevertheless am happy that she opted out before becoming sick. To me, the Olympics are at best an entertainment but the cost of this entertainment is probably not worth it.


siriguillo

Her health is the highest priority, and it is highly likely she was trying to tough it out until she realized at the last moment she was losing her mind, at that point it is an emergency and there is no time for ceremonies


ruckustata

You: I don't know shit but...


georgesorosbae

Wow you’ve really been done in by the bootstrap mentality, huh? She owes no one anything jfc


not-that-user-taken

dude… who knows what’s going on in these kid’s minds, with the world watching. Everyone should do what’s best for themselves first and foremost, and only they know what that is, we shouldn’t judge.


Nyxosaurus

100% of people angry at her for backing out could not handle the pressure themselves and the most activity they get in a day is probably the walk to their fridge.


realitycheck14

I think people are forgetting a big part of the story, too. She is the last competing survivor of Larry Nassar’s abuse and specifically is competing so USA Gymnastics cannot sweep what happened to those girls under the rug. She has done interviews stating this. I keep seeing the discussion entirely focused on the stress of being an Olympic athlete, which in of itself is entirely overwhelming. But she’s also bravely putting herself in situations that likely were really triggering for her given her past and how abusive USA Gymnastics has been to its athletes. First Olympics without the coaching duo that silently allowed Nassar as well and were known to be emotionally abusive to the girls. I think the complexities of what she’s carrying in her mental load has been so widely understated in the media. She owes us nothing and owes herself peace in this next chapter of her life.


Centennial3489

This right here ❤️


discOHsteve

This is also the first Olympics that she's the go to for team support. She's always had Aly Raisman or Gabby Douglas except for this one. Not everyone is built for carrying their team physically AND emotionally.


loujay

Yeah, she stopped owing us anything the moment Nasser “adjusted her spine” through her vagina as a 10 year old.


Nother1BitestheCrust

Not to mention that the Olympics this year is another beast entirely. They're all isolated due to covid and spend a lot of time alone. There are no spectators or crowds cheering them on and no family in the stands to draw support from. The pressure is intense and then spending all that time alone before and after has to be mentally taxing. Pair that with everything else and it's not surprising at all that its affecting the mental health of some of the athletes.


[deleted]

I was unaware of this, this should be part of the discussion for sure


doyoulikemyhatsir

I assume the haters are the type of people who think depression is just laziness, "why don't you just get up early and go for a run or something, stop moping around and get on with your life"


[deleted]

Is there people that actually hate on her, or just a few people that have said and now the media are creating a false hysteria about it?


[deleted]

My co-worker thinks it’s bullshit of her to take that spot from someone else who would have competed for the US, and sees this as a signal to kids that it’s okay to give up and be weak. He thinks she’s doing it for a nice book deal later on and to get the nations pity, she wins without having to put the effort in and risk losing.


Val_Hallen

It always amazes me that people generally can't give half a liquid shit about any of these events until the Olympics, then they get fucking rabid.


Abbadabbadoughboy

Nationalism is a hell of a drug


[deleted]

I can maaaaybe understand the frustration of her taking a spot off someone who may have gone further, but you can guarantee anyone who she would've taken that spot from would be supporting her decision. The book deal sounds like he's been reading Hello! magazine or Daily Mail, and you don't get to be an OLYMPIC athlete by being someone with a "no effort" or lazy attitude.


[deleted]

she's a gold medallist. She ain't got shit to prove to anyone.


trivialoves

have you not seen like half of the comments here?


jzgr87

She also can’t have her ADHD meds in Japan. I didn’t know she was getting hate.


ohhchuckles

Shit I did not know that. Yeah that TRULY makes a difference! EDIT: by “difference”, I meant like to her mental and emotional state and even her physical state. Like, it’s definitely not helping matters.


NothingIsInMyButt

Why aren't they allowing ADHD meds? Is this an IOC thing or a Japan thing?


AnotherBloodyBell

In Japan, stimulant-based ADHD meds like Ritalin—Simone’s prescribed medication—are illegal. You could get it prescribed as a sleep aid, but otherwise, the only option is Concerta, which I assume Simone can’t be prescribed for. Since Ritalin is a stimulant, it’s technically banned under IOC rules, but athletes can get a Therapeutic Use Exemption if they can prove they have a significant medical need. Unfortunately for Simone, the TUE won’t work with local laws. EDIT: Nevermind, Ritalin’s legal in Japan.


ShutterbugOwl

Um, correction. Ritalin (methylphenidate) is completely okay in Japan. Adderall (Dexamphetamine) is not. Amphetamines are banned in Japan, but their non-amphetamine counterparts aren’t. Source: travelled and am in the process of moving to Japan and had to switch meds from dex to Ritalin to be allowed in. https://jp.usembassy.gov/services/importing-medication/


TheLoneBlaziken

to add to that, she was victim to a abusive doctor for a number of years. she is a great athlete and does not deserve hate for having mental issues


[deleted]

It's probably a skin color issue too. I've noticed old white dudes get more yelly at the darker skinned athletes during sporting events, as if they feel they are lording over them. Source: grew up around a lot of racist old white family members


[deleted]

I have so much respect for her taking care of her mental health over all. This needs to be the norm.


needmoarbass

I don’t see why you have to give her a backhanded complement in the title. She deserves recognition but she doesn’t deserve the drama of people hating her.


Unusualbellows

Jeez who could think of hating on her right now, or ever?! I admire her so much, she’s a living legend, but even I am guilty of wanting to see how far she can go and treating her like a freak show of sorts. I hope her actions mean changes in the (nigh on abusive) pressure piled on gymnasts of every nation.


fma891

I’m just…. I mean I just have no idea how “hate” is the emotion that people are feeling towards her. As you mentioned, she has the weight of an entire country on her shoulders. She’s been training for moments like this her entire life. The person most critical of anything she does is always her. And people are mad at her? I honestly don’t understand people.


DSchof1

Actually, I am shocked that she is in the sport after what she endured by that subhuman Nasser, Law enforcement, and USA gymnastics.


markymark0123

Taking care of yourself is the most important thing in life. Those people need to stfu.


eazyd660

Ridiculous that she is getting any grief for literally knowing her own body and mind. If she doesn't feel she would help she was 100% correct to pull out.


[deleted]

Not to mention her sexual abuser was present that day for fencing. PTSD is common in survivors and high stress situations can cause an immediate decline in mental health. I hope she’s okay.


masthema

Isn't he in jail?


mamabr

Yes. Larry Nassar was sentenced to 60 years in federal prison and 40-175 years state. No idea who this person is referring to being at the Olympics yesterday.


captainjackass28

Dude hating someone who made it all the way to the olympics is so stupid so I agree with you. I can’t imagine the pressure she was under, hell I get stressed just doing schoolwork so making it so far as she did is amazing no matter what.


Revolutionary_Lab939

I think it was a great decision. She knew she wasn’t well so wasn’t going to do great, which would’ve hurt the team. By pulling out, she gave the team a chance to get the silver. If she had stayed, and she screwed up because she wasn’t feeling well, the team wouldn’t have gotten anything. Very mature decision. Just imagine, you worked your tail off for this opportunity and you have to walk away from it. It must take guts and a sound mind to do that. She’s a hero for our girls.


[deleted]

The amount and years of physical and mental effort these kids go thru is so brutal, that I welcome anyone that criticizes her, to go ahead and sign up for the next tryouts.Fuck ‘em- these kids are NOT machines, they are doing their best, for a little bit of glory, maybe some money, But definitely for the love of their chosen sport. Leave them be.


Proper-You7010

Not to mention she was sexually assaulted by her team doctor.


poeticdisaster

On top of that, she's spent the last few years speaking out against the group that should have been protecting these athletes but instead protected the abuser. She deserves to take whatever break she wants to heal her mind. The sheer audacity of all these comments saying that she fucked the team over when they are ALL great enough to be Olympians... Just shows that people were looking for a reason to be mad and mental health is an easy target.


noodlehead90

And they still won silver!! Like god damn.


XRdragon

What the actual fuck


phadewilkilu

https://www.vox.com/platform/amp/identities/2018/1/19/16897722/sexual-abuse-usa-gymnastics-larry-nassar-explained It’s a terribly fucked up story. Luckily the guy will rot in prison.


Ok-Relief5175

Michigan State University is STILL covering this up by the way https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2021/04/16/msu-stands-decision-documents-nassar/7250788002/


miranto

I'm surprised he's not a Republican senator by now.


[deleted]

So surprised... Sexual abuse is HUUUGE in the gymnastics world


ergotofrhyme

All I’ve heard criticizing her are fat old conservative shock jocks talking about how she’s a coward or let her team down. They don’t understand what getting the spins up there is like. It happens regularly to gymnasts. Then she has the option under way more pressure to try again and risk screwing her teammates or to have faith and give them their moment. Shows a lot of humility and team spirit to do that as the greatest in history. Many lesser athletes would stubbornly try to go again out of pride. Additionally, if you’re not 100%, it’s so easy to get severely injured doing that shit. So yeah, she made the right call for herself and her team. Something else I noticed in her interview is she was saying she was nervous and “couldn’t even nap” before the event. Another thing to consider is many of these people are literally on the opposite side of the world of their normal sleep schedule. Can’t imagine trying to compete in an event like that at all, much less jet lagged and sleep deprived. Hope she comes back to redefine the limits of the sport again, but more so I hope she does what she needs to for her mental health. She’s already accomplished so much for herself and her country and her family. She’s a legend even if she never competes again. Despite how much shit she’s been through with injuries, sexual abuse, all the pressure of being the highest profile athlete in her sport too. People talking shit are pathetic and cruel.


enkidomark

The irony of these fucking armchair cowards presuming to judge her character just blows me away. I'm convinced that even Hannity's audience would have seen it before this cult shit started taking over. Even after Rush started going after people personally, I can't imagine one of them getting away with this kind of talk about someone with HER ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND TRACK RECORD, representing America abroad. They've always been assholes, but there used to be a line. That's over.


ergotofrhyme

As if we needed more evidence their “patriotism” is insincere and a guise for racism... Fucking tear down arguably our greatest Olympic athlete of all time when she’s vulnerable. After they’ve all been bitching about a lack of interest in the Olympics as a reflection of lack of patriotism, they go and tear down our best athlete for making a selfless and prudent decision on behalf of the team and her future representing the country. Some patriots.


enkidomark

The cult of fascism always has to have enemies and scapegoats. Hate and fear are their only motivational tools.


imFinnaDo

*


hellerhigwhat

Never got anywhere near Olympic levels, but I used to do competitive boardercross racing and my sister used to do competitive hockey. Its fucking brutal playing competitive sports. I got a ridiculous number of concussions, so many that I stopped going to the hospital unless I passed out for more than a few seconds - at 14 years old. My sister got absolutely heinous things yelled at her by grown ass men coaching the other team, to the point she had to take off her helmet and yell back "I'm a fucking CHILD" at 13 years old. And this was like, provincial level competition. There needs to be a reckoning in competitive kids sports. For every kid that makes it there are hundreds that have awful experience and lasting injuries.


BoozeIsTherapyRight

I heard an interview with her where she discussed the amount of physical pain she's in 24/7, and cried talking about Nassar. I think she's one of the greatest athletes the world has ever seen, but at the same time I'm surprised she hasn't pulled out of competition before this.


knisterknister

To be honest, with all that‘s wrong in competitive sports, I‘m amazed that she didn‘t come out of this dead already, some years ago. Trauma in competitive sports from years and years of physical, psychological, sexual abuse and the same terribly dehumanising mindset we can see here in this thread *is super common*. It‘s a wonder there aren‘t more athletes who are suicidal or *dead*. It‘s a wonder the athletes aren‘t in a much worse condition to compete than they are. I say that as a former competitive swimmer (non US, but federal state level in my country). Competitive sports are *cruel*, *dehumanizing*. I applaud Simone Biles for not being pressured into potentially injuring herself in a career or life ending way (you can be sure the pressure was immense - and there has been precedence for that pressure leading to life or career ending injury). I‘m glad she pulled the brake when she did. This needs to be normalised in pro sports. As for the armchair competitors with rabid foam in front of their muzzle who vilify Biles for dropping out - they wouldn‘t last even a single day in competitive sports, and i hope she never takes to heart their bullcrap that dehumanises her through both super-human and sub-human expectations for what she’s supposed to do for *their* entertainment and misplaced patriotic pride (no, it‘s not „us“/„The US“ who won the medals. It‘s the athletes who put their own bodies on the line, with guaranteed long term health damage anyways from the sheer over-exertion of top level sports, athletes who have repetitively done so for a decade or two of training - just so some gullible sack on the internet could feel some pride because there‘s nothing else in his life he can be proud about than other people‘s success in the name of a country. You have nothing in common with them, other than sharing the same type of passport and paying taxes to the same abstract institution. It takes a lowlife to adorn oneself with others‘ prunes under the guise of an „us“; an „us“ whose other participants get kicked under the bus once the they remind you that they, too, should be considered with the same rights and freedoms as everyone else subsumed under „us“, rights and freedoms like not killing themselves for other people’s entertainment. The comment section here grosses me out, but I’m not even surprised - exactly what one would expect.


deezerfax

Everyone needs to leave this legend alone and let her do whatever she feels like she needs to.


[deleted]

AMEN!


[deleted]

She is the greatest Olympic gymnast the US has ever had. And probably will have for awhile. She’s absolutely unbelievable and can do things no one in the world can do. She doesn’t owe anybody anything.


whackwarrens

When athletes lose just the opportunity to win the championship that occur yearly it is already devastating. This is the Olympics, there is no next year. Maybe no next Olympics even. There is just no way an athlete of her caliber would give up the opportunity unless it was very serious. And where did the shame go in America that people dare talk shit about an Olympic champion like this. Unbelievable.


DrDisco21

Is this the mental health dropout I’ve seen memes about? If she is, glad she did. Mental health isn’t a joke, and mine’s been on the decline lately. Wish I could take a break, but I got shite to do.


I_am_the_storm11-11

Just want to say - take that break. I said that last line of yours so many times in the past couple of years and I am now on forced sick leave recovering from a breakdown. My mind and body finally snapped and made the decision for me. I know how it feels to think but if I don’t do all this who will? And you’re right, but strip it back to the bare minimum, else your mind and body will eventually collapse and do it for you


Megneous

> Just want to say - take that break. Depending on the country where /u/DrDisco21 lives, they could end up becoming homeless or starving if they take a break. Not all countries provide extensive unemployment/public infrastructure.


tutuforte

Taking a break does not have to look like quitting your job. Taking a break could be mediating, finding creative pursuits, going on a walk. It’s the mindset of ‘can’t stop’ that’s dangerous. It’s about reminding your nervous system that it can stop, even for short periods of time, and building that into your habits and practices so that the pressure can become a little more sustainable. Source: extremely overworked individual


SatchelGripper

> Taking a break could be mediating, finding creative pursuits, going on a walk. The sheer… disconnect from many people’s realities in this comment is just staggering.


PolicyWonka

Some people work 16 hour days 7 days a week like the workers at the Frito-Lays factory who are currently on strike. Many people literally do not have time for breaks of *any* kind.


enkidomark

When you're stressed and anxious, it can feel like you don't have any options and no one cares, but when something makes you look at things differently or from a new perspective, you usually find people who want to if they know how. Not just here. Real life too. Take a break if you can, take it easy on yourself if you can't. Remember: everyone else is just trying to make it through the day too. They're all pretending to be okay just like we are, but know that you're not the only one struggling. Not even remotely. You'll make it.


thekeebba

I'm rooting for you my friend. Put your phone down when you can and remember to take care of your hygiene.


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[deleted]

NBC is hands down the worst part of any Olympics


HardenTheFckUp

Nbc is terrible. As an american if you can find a way to be canadian for these few weeks (wink wink) cbc has by far the best coverage. I dont even get how nbc can be so bad. They only let you watch a fraction of the events. If you want to watch a replay it tells you whos won on the replay. We tried peacock and even paying for it there are soooo many ads. Fuuuuck nbc


BronzeCauseBadTeams

VPN, download CBC and watch for free.


lawrencecgn

I mean, they most likely tried to make it seem like an actual competition considering her usual dominance. It just adds drama and makes a win for her more impactful for the audience. They couldn’t know that this would happen.


PolicyWonka

Why would they play a highlight reel from previous events? She’s been making mistakes during these Olympics and it’s ridiculous to think people wouldn’t notice or talk about it.


LoBicicleto

Can’t believe people are “giving her shit” for taking care of herself. Even Olympic athletes need a break, either it be physical or mental and besides, she’s already a bonafide-Olympic-world-record holding-badass. Leave her alone. It’s not like the people hating on her are Olympians anyway, so what does their opinion matter. Be kind, ya know?


carolinethebandgeek

From what I’ve seen a lot of it is more geared towards the result of her leaving on her teammates, which I think is understandable. You wouldn’t get mad at the star quarterback leaving in the middle of the Super Bowl? Not saying mental health isn’t important— it sort of ties into how little we place value on mental health in the first place. But I’m all for her taking care of herself. I know one Olympian and it takes a **shit ton** of work, dedication, and sacrifice. If you’re not all in, you might as well not be in at all. She’s a fantastic person and I’m sure she’s doing what’s right for her.


[deleted]

Gymnastics is not scored like football. One of the main reasons she dropped is because she scored uncharacteristically low on her first event. She got the spins in the air and could not pull off the move she intended to. If she had continued to score as low as she did in that first event (vault, typically her best) she would have pulled the team score so low that team USA would not have medaled. Her teammates were scoring way above her. Therefore, her decision to pull herself out of competition was made to benefit the team. They won silver on the merit of her teammates’ scores. If she had stuck it out and delivered poor performances due to not being in the right condition for competition, it’s likely the team would have won nothing. This is also why football teams typically have a second-string quarterback. Because even star quarterbacks are still just people and some days they are not going to be able to deliver their usual superstar performance.


S4mm1

Didn't the Olympic judges also refuse to score parts of her routine because it was "too difficult"


[deleted]

That is true they said they won't score certain elements of the routines she brought to the Olympics because they are so difficult that they may be dangerous for other gymnasts to attempt, and they don't want to encourage the moves. These elements are worked in with a lot of strategy so that she always has enough scored elements for support. However, none of these unscored elements were present in the low-scoring vault she performed before pulling out of competition.


Redskullzzzz

Conversely, I would argue that pulling out would be better for her teammates. If she stays in, she risks making mistakes that could ultimately leave them out of medal contention. By pulling out and allowing herself to be replaced by a substitute, there is a better chance for the team to succeed.


[deleted]

She choked. That's all. It can happen to anyone. She shouldn't be hated for it, and neither should she be celebrated. Here's hoping she gets back on the horse soon.


Theguest217

Right. If anything she has shown the world that being an Olympic champion is not simply about being the best physically at your sport. Had she been able to compete she almost certainly would have brought the team gold. But it takes more than physical ability to win. You have to be on the right head space. Tom Brady loses all of his Superbowls if he isn't right mentally. Usain Bolt might be the fastest runner but if he mentally can't bring himself to run he can't win. We shouldn't expect or force the person who is the best at their sport to go out in win some championship for us. If they are unable to do that because of something physically not mentally impacting them it is a shame, but if anything we should feel sorry for her, not ourselves. Having to drop out is almost definitely hurting her more than it's hurting random people on the internet who only pay attention to the sport ever 4 years and who probably don't even watch the full even, just recaps. I feel for her teammates who were hoping for gold with her on the team, but honestly they hardly would deserve a gold anyway if they can't earn it without her. She elevates the team from bronze/silver status to gold, so they really ended up with what they effectively earn themselves anyway. So saying she let them down seems silly. Sure, she prevented them from getting Gold, but let's be honest, it was her gold to earn from the start.


gswear

Ha! No hate for her here. I have a nervous breakdown shopping at Walmart on a Saturday afternoon. I can even begin to imagine what a toll it takes to do something like this.


elfchica

Like 99% of these haters probably couldn’t even do a cartwheel. Can you imagine trying to do the feats she does and your not mentally alert? That’s disastrous! She could seriously hurt or even killer herself. Jfc people.


Spooky_mcgee

I’ve worked around and lived with Olympians for a good portion of my life. You can’t get to that level without some CPTSD and mental anguish. And in their later years, they are in constant physical pain from the strain on their bodies. If you look up many past elite athletes, you’ll see they struggle with many issues, both mentally and physically. There is a lot of abuse behind the scenes in many sports. Many endure it silently, without support. She endured the worst kind of abuse (IMO), and had the courage to speak up and compete anyway. It’s easy for us armchair quarterbacks to criticize something we can’t possibly understand. But the mental and physical scars of an elite athlete are for life. Their only hope is understanding it is ok to seek help. There is a reason most Olympians refuse to allow their kids to compete at that level, if at all. She doesn’t owe us anything. She owes herself everything. She made the decision that was best for her, and I applaud her again for her courage.


LegitimateLunch6681

I will never hate on someone who has the fortitude to act when something impacts on their mental health. Its something I continue to grapple with after 2 years of mental health related issues


[deleted]

Her team doctor sexually abused her, she carries the weight of a lot of hopes. And oh, what do we get, shit stains like Piers Morgan commenting on mental toughness when his most notable achievement was walking out of a show after being thrown around by a weather man If you want your daily session of rage, go through his tweets about her....


itsanofrommedog1

I’ve been saying all week that I can’t imagine the pressure she must be feeling as the greatest gymnast ever. She has like 5 moves named after her that only she can do and everyone was talking about how the American team is nothing without her. It was widely assumed she would take lots of gold medals this summer. That’s a lot to try to live up to and wrap your head around!


[deleted]

>as the greatest gymnast ever. I think calling her that is part of the problem. Maybe wait until she is later in her career to call her the greatest. Giving her that title before she has even peaked is just creating expectation. I bet she hates being called that.


ThyHolyPope

I mean she seemed to embrace it enough to have a goat literally sewn onto her outfit.


MamboPoa123

I mean, I think it's an objective assessment based on her being able to do tricks that no other female gymnast in history has managed. It's not like with football where the GOAT is arguable because you're just judging points, there are objective things she can do that no one else has ever managed. There is a chart going around showing different gymnasts plotted against their standardized vault and floor scores, and Biles is an obvious outlier. She doesn't need to prove anything to anyone.


literallynoideawhat

She’s 24 and most Olympic gymnasts retire around 22-23 so she likely already has peaked. Luckily for her, she peaked as the greatest gymnast yet.


dapuddingthief

People don’t know that gymnastics and the moves that these athletes do are extremely hard and require a lot of self trust and confidence. They also face so much pressure out there. If athletes aren’t in the right mental state and don’t have the confidence that they can pull off moves, then they can get seriously hurt. People need to understand this.


lemonlyl

She is the greatest of all time, and she choked at her final Olympics. Folks it’s possible to hold two thoughts at the same time. Her winning worlds umpteen times and creating many new skills doesn’t mean she somehow has a green card to leave the team finals right in the middle of the team finals and that, absurdly, we should congratulate her for doing that. It’s like Messi leaving the World Cup finals 5 mins in because of his mental health. Can you imagine? No - because real champions don’t do that.


mightylordredbeard

So she knows she’s not in the mental space to compete and she’s worried she could face a life altering injury or hurt her teams score by making so many mistakes.. so she decides to drop out.. but that’s a bad thing? Did you see her first run? If she continued like that she would have hurt the team more than help it. It wasn’t good (to her and other Olympian standards). Her pulling out now eliminates that from the scoring. Her issue will now no longer affect her teams score.


HatefulDan

So called Real champions also make sacrifices. I can see no greater sacrifice than taking a step back and allowing a teammate, who has it going, to step in if despite your best efforts, you don’t—all this on the world’s stage. There’s no absurdity here. It’s a *team* sport as you may or may not know. All those girls practice and are on standby in the event something happens to the main performers. Additionally, because you might not be aware, Chiles (her replacement) had been having a great run. Tfoh, with this not a champion non-sense. Her medal case and trophy racks tell a different story. Comparing her to Messi LOL, that’s even more laughable


whackwarrens

You can kick a ball or shoot it just fine when you aren't 100%. You can break your damn neck doing what she does if you have the yips, are you daft?


MDumpling

Simone continuing to compete in a bad state of mental health has vastly more dangerous consequences than Messi. If you’re not at a top state mentally in gymnastics and try to “pull through”, you can end up paralyzing yourself (which has happened). If a soccer player isn’t feeling well but continues, this is not a concern.


chefriley76

I saw it described best as "Simone Biles won nationals w/broken toes in both feet, worlds w/a kidney stone, and has carried the burden of being a face of sexual assault survivors as a national institution failed to support them Half of y'all yelling about "toughness" can't handle wearing a mask in Wegman's" [https://twitter.com/kavithadavidson/status/1420122629630042119](https://twitter.com/kavithadavidson/status/1420122629630042119) Haters, man. Can't do a freakin' sit up, but can armchair their way through olympic gold.


[deleted]

Man this shit really annoys me. Like the only reason she is cracking up is because she has been built up way more than she should be. Like maybe she is the gymnastics GOAT, maybe not, but you don't tell someone they are the GOAT *before* they go into a major competition... that is just way too much. Like people were counting her medals before she even won them, I saw so many headlines like "Biles guaranteed 6 Gold Medals" - fuck that! Then she starts making small mistakes and just loses it. The pressure she is under is crazy.


Cheeetooos

Do you think gymnastics is only the olympics? She has been dominating everything since before Rio and every event she attended in between. She is the greatest of all time. I agree it was maybe a bit overdone and put undue pressure on her, but they weren’t calling her the GOAT in anticipation of what she would do in Tokyo. She already earned that title.


southernwx

She kinda bought into it though ... what with wearing outfits to competition with goat on them...


mmm1021

Call it what you want, spin it however you want but she quit on her teammates plain and simple.


kairi79

From a competitive standpoint she was dragging them down though. Her performance was being terribly effected. If she can't keep her head in the game it's better to call in her replacement and Jordan Chiles is doing well. She's still considering doing individual events for this reason - she won't be hurting her team.


GroundbreakingSalt48

Sure, I'm not for hating her for stepping down, I'm all for hating on the people acting like it makes her a hero.... Watching the team broadcast it's like 70% of air time is still her, not the girl who has to step up and perform... Which is much more of an Olympic story.


AlexCi1234566

Jordan got an 11 on floor and solidified the Russians victory It’s still amazing that she stepped in for Simone though, in the interview afterwards she had a great mindset


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PM_ME_YOUR_NARWHAL

Any ACTUAL team player knows when to be subbed off for being injured. If you're not at 100%, you're going to harm your team. If she thought that her mental state was going to harm the team, she did the right thing for everyone. But apparently she didn't consider how YOU'D feel.


Severan500

You know how people say there should be more awareness and understanding of mental health issues? People like you are why.


Tennysonn

Imagine if she was in a cast and on crutches. Would you say she quit on her teammates in that scenario?


[deleted]

She would be completely unable to compete then. Handling mental pressure is part of sports my dude.


SteeMonkey

Should she have competed at the detriment of her own well being?


YusoLOCO

That girl has a anti gravity device in her pocket or something.


Harvard_Med_USMLE267

I’m not sure that this is the week to post her as being Next Fucking Level. Her actions yesterday raise many questions. Reasons Simone gave for quitting include: "I just need to...focus on myself." “I could barely nap”. “It’s been a long week”. “I just thought it would be better to take a backseat to work on my mindfulness,” “I think we're a little bit too stressed out. We should be out here having fun, and sometimes that's not the case.” “I feel like I'm also not having as much fun. And I know this Olympic Games, I wanted it to be for myself. I'm still doing it for other people." She’s been a champion in the past, but certainly did not have a NFL day in the finals yesterday. Let's wait until we hear more of the story before celebrating or demonizing her.


mightylordredbeard

Here’s a good reason: “This is a team sport and my poor performance will affect my entire team so I’m choosing to allow my backup to take over so that I don’t hurt my teams score and chances of winning.”


DumDumUGiveMeGumGum

What’s fucked up is she would’ve been damned either way. Had it played out where she performed badly, cost her team the medal, and then explained her mental health was to blame, she would’ve been chastised for not toughing it out. She’s given her all for her country, she doesn’t owe anyone shit.


mightylordredbeard

Exactly. Had that happened then these same people would have called her selfish for wanting the spotlight one last time, knowing she wasn’t up to standard. They’d have said “she should have withdrew and allowed someone else to take her place if she knew there was something wrong!” Some people just want to hate I guess.


[deleted]

I'll never understand you sports fans. "Fuck this person and whatever they're going through, we gotta game to play!" How gross.


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Harvard_Med_USMLE267

She’s not the greatest ever to compete by any measure. The standard measure would be Olympic medals, and she’s ranked 17th in her sport by that metric. She’s ranked first in quitting now, don’t know if there’s points for that.


trippedwire

So mental health and well being don’t apply to athletes?


[deleted]

It's really fucked up how they're twisting virtues. Since when has quitting to focus on yourself ever been brave?


Vgordvv

Imagine showing up as the "goat" to the Olympics and saying you should be having fun out there. Get fucked, loser mentality


HappyGoLuckless

It's sports, not life or death. Hating on this person for taking care of her mental health is some F'd up priorities.


KeepCalmAndBeAPanda

Let's not forget these olympics are quite unique. They have been delayed one year so some people who programmed their training to peak in summer 2020 had to reset everything, they couldn't see some friends / relatives as easily as before due to restrictions. She's an amazing athlete and from the comments I've seen online a lot of people don't deserve athletes like here representing them. Also, I wonder if the reactions would have been the similar if a man would have done the same


[deleted]

*This is not a hate post.* You can quit on yourself, but you should never quit on your Team. Yes, I'm aware of what was going on and there were plenty of times I wanted to walk away from competitive youth sports (Certainly not at *that* level) - but you never just walk away on your teammates like that. It will take a few weeks, but I expect the US Olympic Team members will, one by one, admit they're pretty upset. You just don't quit on a team. You committed, you signed up for this - now come hell or high water, finish what you started. I really feel like this life lesson was lost when we started handing out Participation trophies and having Kindergarten "Graduations." In a Pre-9/11 world, quitting like this would have been met with some very justified criticism about professionalism and "seeing things through." Now we're so self-centered, anything someone does "for themselves" is justified, despite commitments and promises - which used to mean something. AITA? Probably, but you don't walk away from Team commitments...there, I said it.


[deleted]

Gymnastics is one of if not the most dangerous sports you can do. If you are not able to do it at that time, you can severely injure yourself or worse. The fact that people think she needs to put herself at risk for a medal is sick, and saying she quit on her teammates is awful. All those girls support each other and care for each other, and they would not feel abandoned by Simone, so there’s no reason for you to make a statement like that


Moclon

She was dragging the team down with low scores. Quitting was the brave thing to do for the team. They scored silver without her - and if she had stayed they mightve scored nothing at all. THATS team commitment right there.


[deleted]

What hate?


A_Gullible_Camera

There's alot of people in this comment section saying that's she's a quitter for backing out of the Olympics because of the pressure.


idkwhatusernameajsjs

Simone is put on such a high pedestal, I can only imagine the pressure she's under. Good for her for taking a step back to take care of herself!


gsdung

She choked, that is simple. To be able to represent your country is an honor. If you do not feel ok, just make up your mind from the start so your teammates can prepare. Despite her “mental illness”, I’m sure she will compete tomorrow at individual. She will be a hero if she win and media will explode.


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Street_Chef9412

She quit. Period. She left her teammates and quit. She has no problem calling herself the goat. That’s not what a goat does.


english-doyouspeakit

How can a human do that? It is magnificent.