Simone Biles

[threethehardway]

Jordan quit period. There’s really no sugar coating that he walked away from the game in his prime literally after just winning a championship and that’s fine, he rightly wasn’t criticized for it. Olympics are every 4 years, Jordan could have competed for another championship the following year. Simone Biles could have quit before the Olympics and she’d still be getting criticized. People just want a reason to hate on Simon Biles. I mean posters in this thread are literally attacking a sexual assault victim in a sport where it’s been clearly explained that not being in the right mind set will lead to serious injury.

My thing is this, Simone Biles is a GOAT despite being in an emotionally, sexually and mentally abusive sports program for most of her career.

How you gonna criticize her because she decided she can't do it THIS TIME. She did it all the other times and now she realizes she can't do it anymore, good for her.

She can end her career right now and be solidified in her sport. Not many athletes can say that at 24.

There's nothing wrong with quitting, there are plenty of things in my life, I wish I quit instead of pushing through for the sake of other people that ultimately, don't matter. There's nothing worse than pushing through crap you don't wanna do for someone else to give you a pat on the back.

Nobody else matters except the individual.

People can be mad at her they want, but she's more accomplished in her career field than other people at 24. I wish I could quit my career field with the equivalent of 25 World Championship medals, 6 Olympic medals.

[Wigginstime]

what I wanna know is....why is she considered the GOAT so vehemently when she has 6 medals which doesn't even put her in the top 10..is this some Americentrism thing?

Simones routines are the most complex difficult routines ever attempted by any female athlete in gymnastics. The reason Simone wins isn't because the is "perfectly" consistent its that fact that she scores so many more points than the other athletes due to the difficulty part of the scoring that she wins despite any mistakes. Between Olympics and World Championships she has won 27 championships now.

Simone was first ever woman to land
1. Yurchenko Double Pike on Vault
2. Double-Double Dismount on Beam
3. Triple-Double on Floor

The International Gymnastics committee has actually decreased the "difficult" score of some of her tricks because her difficulty factor is drastically higher than every other athlete in the world it makes it impossible for any athlete to beat her unless Simone makes major errors.

[gmoney411]

theres a big difference between retiring after winning a championship and quitting in the middle of the championship after you made a mistake and won't win

more similar to LeBron phoning it in in the playoffs this year but at least he had the dignity to come outta the locker room at half time and be present during his loss

Is it a mistake if you break your ankle, fall, and turn the ball over? Should you then just forget that mistake and keep playing?

i dont get what a hypothetical broken ankle has to do with anything? if LeBron or whoever decides they dont wanna play the second half of game 7 of the finals cause his team is down 20 and he doesnt wanna break his ankle goin in to next year would anyone in the world respect that?

You don't get it because that's what mental injuries are like. They are like broken body parts that prevent you from performing at a high level. It's not LeBron being afraid of breaking his ankle. It's LeBron breaking his ankle, trying to play in the second half, and not being able to and leaving the court.

[a8bil]

She quit on her team when they needed her the most. Bottom line. When you’re the best on your team you’re expected to show up when it matters. She didn’t. You all know damn well that if LeBron decided to sit out a game 7 of the NBA finals because he didn’t feel like playing and “needed a mental health day” he’d get torn to pieces. It’d be evidence that he’s “mentally weak” and “doesn’t have Jordan’s toughness.”

Or she withdrew when she realized that her continuing to compete would prevent any chance of them making the podium. She got lost in the air and ended up with the worst vault score she has ever had. What good is she doing her team if she continues to perform terribly? You think her teammates would prefer she tough it out so they can end up with no medal instead of the silver they got?

Plenty of male athletes have been injured and missed big games. Plenty have tried to play with injury and had to leave the games because they couldn't. If she could no longer perform because of her mental state it is no different than a physical injury that has kept other big time athletes out of games. The idea that all mental issues can just be magically overcome with will is false.

Another spot on post. Simone's look on her face in that vault as she pulled out of a 2.5 twist at 1.5 twists was confusion and fear. Whatever is in her head, she had no idea where she was in the air and that's what she told her coach when she came off the floor. This is not about toughing through the situation...she needs to figure out why she's getting disoriented in mid-air and her body is bailing on her.

[SA37]

Jordan quit period. There’s really no sugar coating that he walked away from the game in his prime literally after just winning a championship and that’s fine, he rightly wasn’t criticized for it. Olympics are every 4 years, Jordan could have competed for another championship the following year. Simone Biles could have quit before the Olympics and she’d still be getting criticized. People just want a reason to hate on Simon Biles. I mean posters in this thread are literally attacking a sexual assault victim in a sport where it’s been clearly explained that not being in the right mind set will lead to serious injury.

She wouldnt have been criticized for skipping these Olympics. She is 24 and nobody would have cared if she moved on with her life.

If she withdrew right before the Olympics she’d be getting **** on like she is right now. America is filled with a bunch of sociopaths who probably have mental issues themselves who can’t for one second put themselves in someone else’s shoes. Just look at the comments in here

You do have to admit that the manner and the timing of both Biles and Osaka's pulling out of major events due to "mental illness" is, at the very least, perfectly timed for all kinds of media attention. Then they have the gall to ask for "privacy." If you really do have mental health issues, why would you (seemingly) do everything in your power to draw as much attention to it as these two have done? How does that improve their personal situation?

I am not denying that the pressure hasn't affected them or what they are going through is serious and real, but of all the ways of going about dealing with personal issues, this is probably the poorest timing possible, both from a sporting standpoint and a personal standpoint.

[TheGOATRises007]

Jordan never quit during the NBA Finals, which is the equivalent of what Biles did.
Jordan never quit in the middle of any event.
You'd have to be a next-level Jordan-hater to draw a comparison between him and Biles, when he's the most reliable player of all-time on the biggest stage....

Jordan definitely quit in the middle of competition. I've seen him get hurt and leave the court and not come back.

I look forward to your response about how physical injuries are different and Simone should have just kept toughing it out to the detriment of her team.

The mindset our country has fallen into is terrifying. She should be getting the Ben Simmons treatment X10000.

Holy crap.

Quite amazing how some of you think.

Threads like these are great to weed out the true morons of RealGm.

Congrats. You're one of them.

[a8bil]

the question is why did she quit midway and waste roster spot? nobody forced to do it.

Because she had anxiety due to crazy expectations and knew it was best to put her mental (and likely physical health first). You won't know this will be a problem until in the moment.

The U.S. has a great team with enough people to cover. Most of the others still ranked near the top and some barely didn't make the finals due to being squeezed out because only 2 people per country were allowed. And the team events we are fine.

The U.S. has plenty of roster spots.

Her health is more important to focus on.

We won't know the real reason until later. A number of things could've caused the anxiety. Only she knows and I'm sure she'll tell the truth. She kept the sexual assault quiet for a while so she does internalize things.

She said in interviews before and after, that as she has aged, fear of injury has crept into her psyche, which it never did before. Every gymnast I know had that same fear at times and had to go through a lot to get over it. Biles, with the most difficult moves of any gymnast -- ever -- has every reason to have fear given the difficulty of her skills. She is no longer unencumbered by the fearlessness of youth.

[KembaWalker]

Is it a mistake if you break your ankle, fall, and turn the ball over? Should you then just forget that mistake and keep playing?

i dont get what a hypothetical broken ankle has to do with anything? if LeBron or whoever decides they dont wanna play the second half of game 7 of the finals cause his team is down 20 and he doesnt wanna break his ankle goin in to next year would anyone in the world respect that?

You don't get it because that's what mental injuries are like. They are like broken body parts that prevent you from performing at a high level. It's not LeBron being afraid of breaking his ankle. It's LeBron breaking his ankle, trying to play in the second half, and not being able to and leaving the court.

you're supposed to feel down on yourself when you lose in sports. thats why kids play sports, to learn how to lose. especially after you spend the whole year calling yourself the GOAT as a brand. not being able to cope with the concept of losing because you've created such a high amount of pressure (on yourself) is not the same thing as a physical injury. go out and do your best and lose or don't show up to begin with and hog all the spotlight

[gmoney411]

i dont get what a hypothetical broken ankle has to do with anything? if LeBron or whoever decides they dont wanna play the second half of game 7 of the finals cause his team is down 20 and he doesnt wanna break his ankle goin in to next year would anyone in the world respect that?

You don't get it because that's what mental injuries are like. They are like broken body parts that prevent you from performing at a high level. It's not LeBron being afraid of breaking his ankle. It's LeBron breaking his ankle, trying to play in the second half, and not being able to and leaving the court.

you're supposed to feel down on yourself when you lose in sports. thats why kids play sports, to learn how to lose. especially after you spend the whole year calling yourself the GOAT as a brand. not being able to cope with the concept of losing because you've created such a high amount of pressure (on yourself) is not the same thing as a physical injury. go out and do your best and lose or don't show up to begin with and hog all the spotlight

You don't get it. This is like when people think being sad and being depressed are the same thing.

[Desiderium]

Mental Health is important, but the timing of all of this is super sus. benefit of the doubt tho. Just sucks that the spot could have gone to someone else who dreamed of performing in the olympics

[Andrew McCeltic]

She wouldnt have been criticized for skipping these Olympics. She is 24 and nobody would have cared if she moved on with her life.

If she withdrew right before the Olympics she’d be getting **** on like she is right now. America is filled with a bunch of sociopaths who probably have mental issues themselves who can’t for one second put themselves in someone else’s shoes. Just look at the comments in here

You do have to admit that the manner and the timing of both Biles and Osaka's pulling out of major events due to "mental illness" is, at the very least, perfectly timed for all kinds of media attention. Then they have the gall to ask for "privacy." If you really do have mental health issues, why would you (seemingly) do everything in your power to draw as much attention to it as these two have done? How does that improve their personal situation?

I am not denying that the pressure hasn't affected them or what they are going through is serious and real, but of all the ways of going about dealing with personal issues, this is probably the poorest timing possible, both from a sporting standpoint and a personal standpoint.

AFAIK each made a single public statement? Neither is doing interviews or going on at length. The idea they’re doing it for media attention has no merit. And the point is that they shouldn’t have to be secretive - “personal reasons” - about something human, normal, medical.

[EmperorLocky]

Probably just stuffed the vault and rather than continue to compete and lose decided to quit under the usual MH label.

[KembaWalker]

You don't get it because that's what mental injuries are like. They are like broken body parts that prevent you from performing at a high level. It's not LeBron being afraid of breaking his ankle. It's LeBron breaking his ankle, trying to play in the second half, and not being able to and leaving the court.

you're supposed to feel down on yourself when you lose in sports. thats why kids play sports, to learn how to lose. especially after you spend the whole year calling yourself the GOAT as a brand. not being able to cope with the concept of losing because you've created such a high amount of pressure (on yourself) is not the same thing as a physical injury. go out and do your best and lose or don't show up to begin with and hog all the spotlight

You don't get it. This is like when people think being sad and being depressed are the same thing.

being depressed is a long term thing, you're the one saying this should be treated like an injury, like a broken ankle
now you're saying its a long term thing. well, if you had long term concerns about your ability to compete you shouldnt have showed up, or you should see it through.

look i'm not saying she deserves to be crucified, but i just don't see anything particularly heroic about it, and she definitely shouldnt be getting more praise or respect than the people that actually competed

[a8bil]

i am honestly sickened by the ignorance, meanness and stupidity of a lot of the comments in this thread. what a bunch of schmucks a lot of you are.

Simone Biles has been one of the most dominant, determined and daring athletes in the world for almost 10 years. Along the way she has endured endless abuse – physical, sexual and reputational – while bringing home to the USA more world championships than any gymnast in history. She has been let down by her sport and by her coaches again and again, she has fought for her teammates with great dignity and courage in court, and throughout she has been an exceptional role model for people of all kinds, but especially young women, athletes, and Black women. She has done all this as an amateur athlete, and as someone doing the sorts of death-defying tricks every day that literally nobody else in the world can do and that could easily lead to serious injury and even death if she screws them up.

But many of you guys are going to sit back back and crap on her and doubt her and question her toughness because she has the extreme good sense to realize that if she is not 100% physically and mentally that she should not be risking her life. gtfo

Does stepping back mean she is weak? are you kidding? how hard do you think she has had to push herself in past years, overcoming physical and mental and emotional pressure and anxiety of the absolute hugest kind, in order to win? don't you realize how much she has stepped up in the past, how developed her sense of her own capacities are, and how much she wants to win? You don't get to be GOAT by being a punk ffs. You think she would have stepped back if she felt she had any other choice?

I just can't believe how many of you guys sit back and look down on her. it's sad. talk about privilege, holy crap.

If the mental block was to put her in danger and not be able to perform a movement, that's one thing, but she does all the same routines and movements in practice just not on the day of competition. It seems her mental thing is not being able to perform to her expected GOAt level. She had an off night during the US trials and was crying, but she still won and won quite easily. Not being at her best still likely brings scores that are top level and likely gives the USA a team all around gold.

Not putting down Biles, but what if Lowry or anyone else on your team chose to sit out because of mental issues of worrying about failure and not being able to perform. Would you be defending him

I'm sorry, you are just wrong. She was having problems in the pre-lims and in practice. She has done an amanar (the vault with 2.5 twists) I'm guessing thousands of times. They do it enough so that their bodies get trained to do it naturally. In the pre-lims, Biles was so disoriented she landed partly off the mat on the vault and stepped off the mat. Those are the mistakes of a level 5 gymnast, not the best in the world. She was way off for days/weeks going into this. Something is wrong...and its not a "just tough it out" or fear of failure moment like you seem to suggest. Her body is betraying her...it may be linked to psychological issues, but it is not just something she can tough out.

[heezyo2o]

Because she had anxiety due to crazy expectations and knew it was best to put her mental (and likely physical health first). You won't know this will be a problem until in the moment.

The U.S. has a great team with enough people to cover. Most of the others still ranked near the top and some barely didn't make the finals due to being squeezed out because only 2 people per country were allowed. And the team events we are fine.

The U.S. has plenty of roster spots.

Her health is more important to focus on.

We won't know the real reason until later. A number of things could've caused the anxiety. Only she knows and I'm sure she'll tell the truth. She kept the sexual assault quiet for a while so she does internalize things.

She said in interviews before and after, that as she has aged, fear of injury has crept into her psyche, which it never did before. Every gymnast I know had that same fear at times and had to go through a lot to get over it. Biles, with the most difficult moves of any gymnast -- ever -- has every reason to have fear given the difficulty of her skills. She is no longer unencumbered by the fearlessness of youth.

When did she say this? She could have won gold with the same routines as 4-5 years ago, but continued to push boundaries after committing to another olympics. She didn't have to push the envelope anymore, she wanted to

[gmoney411]

you're supposed to feel down on yourself when you lose in sports. thats why kids play sports, to learn how to lose. especially after you spend the whole year calling yourself the GOAT as a brand. not being able to cope with the concept of losing because you've created such a high amount of pressure (on yourself) is not the same thing as a physical injury. go out and do your best and lose or don't show up to begin with and hog all the spotlight

You don't get it. This is like when people think being sad and being depressed are the same thing.

being depressed is a long term thing, you're the one saying this should be treated like an injury, like a broken ankle
now you're saying its a long term thing. well, if you had long term concerns about your ability to compete you shouldnt have showed up, or you should see it through.

look i'm not saying she deserves to be crucified, but i just don't see anything particularly heroic about it, and she definitely shouldnt be getting more praise or respect than the people that actually competed

Why shouldn't you show up and try to compete? Tons of players have tried to play through injury and had to leave the game because they couldn't.

[SleepingDragon]

She's no longer the GOAT after this decision IMO.

This will be used against her when comparing GOAT gymnasts.

[SA37]

If she withdrew right before the Olympics she’d be getting **** on like she is right now. America is filled with a bunch of sociopaths who probably have mental issues themselves who can’t for one second put themselves in someone else’s shoes. Just look at the comments in here

You do have to admit that the manner and the timing of both Biles and Osaka's pulling out of major events due to "mental illness" is, at the very least, perfectly timed for all kinds of media attention. Then they have the gall to ask for "privacy." If you really do have mental health issues, why would you (seemingly) do everything in your power to draw as much attention to it as these two have done? How does that improve their personal situation?

I am not denying that the pressure hasn't affected them or what they are going through is serious and real, but of all the ways of going about dealing with personal issues, this is probably the poorest timing possible, both from a sporting standpoint and a personal standpoint.

AFAIK each made a single public statement? Neither is doing interviews or going on at length. The idea they’re doing it for media attention has no merit. And the point is that they shouldn’t have to be secretive - “personal reasons” - about something human, normal, medical.

Osaka brought the spotlight on herself by refusing to do interviews at Wimbledon. That was never going to fly with the tournament organizers and was always going to be a very public dispute. This became THE story for ~a week before she pulled out. It was by far the biggest story of Wimbledon. Had she pulled out a few weeks before, she could have claimed any sort of injury or some other reasonably credible excuse and she could have gone and taken care of her mental issues in a much less extravagant way.

For Biles, the story isn't quite as clear, but pulling out of the Olympics when you are one of the most popular athletes is going to attract insane amounts of attention. She could have pulled out of the Olympics way before the trials or any lead up to the Olympics and gone and taken care of herself.

Again, I am not questioning the validity of their mental health issues; I am saying the manner in which both of these situations have happened seem staged/rehearsed/planned in order to extract as much media attention as possible and laying the groundwork for future projects, such as documentaries, comeback stories, interviews, and careers that go well beyond sports.

[ibraheim718]

Because she had anxiety due to crazy expectations and knew it was best to put her mental (and likely physical health first). You won't know this will be a problem until in the moment.

The U.S. has a great team with enough people to cover. Most of the others still ranked near the top and some barely didn't make the finals due to being squeezed out because only 2 people per country were allowed. And the team events we are fine.

The U.S. has plenty of roster spots.

Her health is more important to focus on.

We won't know the real reason until later. A number of things could've caused the anxiety. Only she knows and I'm sure she'll tell the truth. She kept the sexual assault quiet for a while so she does internalize things.

She said in interviews before and after, that as she has aged, fear of injury has crept into her psyche, which it never did before. Every gymnast I know had that same fear at times and had to go through a lot to get over it. Biles, with the most difficult moves of any gymnast -- ever -- has every reason to have fear given the difficulty of her skills. She is no longer unencumbered by the fearlessness of youth.

Ahhh.. yeah I can relate to that. I skateboarded on and off for 30 years and your balls go as you get older. But that's from your teen years and doesn't start until you get into your 30's. I didn't see that interview but now it makes sense. If she is constantly thinking about getting hurt it's over. What's strange is how quick it happened.. she just in an instant shut it down so maybe there is more to it. The fear of getting hurt comes from repeatedly getting hurt.. it starts to add up.

If anyone has done any of the daredevil activities they will agree. That level of gymnastics is next level too.. the same as doing a 540 on a 12 foot vert ramp or grinding a 12 stair handrail. I'm just surprised how quick it happened to her.. just a few days prior she was doing all those pikes and flips flawlessly. I think she just scared the **** out of herself.

[ibraheim718]

She's no longer the GOAT after this decision IMO.

This will be used against her when comparing GOAT gymnasts.

I think she has the most gold medals of any gymnast. You can't just strip her of those.