Simone Biles

[Winsome Gerbil]

She's proudly represented the US, inspired millions during her ascension, is internationally acknowledged to be the greatest gymnast of all time, and has the hardware to back her stature. But because she didn't risk life and limb for your entertainment, she's an unpatriotic coward? She’s not obligated to participate in anything against her own will just because you want to claim a gold medal vicariously. How shallow are the depths of your patriotism if you praise Olympians when they dominate but present your back when they require support? On the contrary, I find it weak and cowardly that so many are abusing her predicament to shame her and promote culture wars instead of offering their unyielding support. As a veteran, I truly know what it means to be patriotic, so she has my unwavering support.

So many straw men being thrown up for this girl. And yes, I know the language used by the previous poster.

Risking life and limb and all that is extreme, and an extreme take. But on the other hand this was our girl, the one sent there on purpose to go win gold, representing the country, being lauded with honors. And she didn't get it done. She flinched in the moment.

Ironically removing the extra import of wearing the country's colors, this is your basketball team's superstar suddenly pulling out of Game 2 of the Finals announcing he's having a mental criss, and isn't sure when/if he will be back. How would we respond? I guarantee you it would not be with the wall of excuses and accusations of meaniepoohness that Simone is getting from her white knights.

It could certainly happen, you can not have it, you can collapse on the biggest stage, it can all be 100% legit. And yet if it is, then you aren't "The One" afterall. If it's your team's superstar and you have poured honor and money on him only to see him collapse like a cheap suit in the biggest moment for your franchise...your legitimate disappointment is immense. He wasn't the guy you dreamed he was. With Biles it's a shocker. Didn't see it coming. But there it was. Jordan quit in Game 2 and said the pressure had gotten to him. And after that he's never truly Jordan again.

[Rauxcee]

The amount of ignorance in regards to mental health, gymanatics, and just how GOAT Biles is, and still is, is sadly not surprising for the GB. Not sure why I should be suprised...


I am surprised about the majority of decent human beings who at least understand the sport and mental health who are posting here. That was unexpected to be honest. I was expecting a lot more ignoramuses.

[Pennebaker]

I have mixed feelings on it all.

On one hand I understand it, it's tough to compete under that pressure and she wasn't at her best. And her mental health is what matters most.

On the other hand, it hurts to see them win silver when they should have been bringing home the gold. And Russia of all countries wins the gold.

They weren't going to win the gold anyway. That's probably why she dropped out. She knew it wasn't going to happen.

So you have a Black Lives Matter sig and a Georg Floyd avatar and this is how you disrespect a Black woman who has achieved more than anyone else in her sport's history when she takes a bold step to protect herself? And after she has been abused for years while winning multiple gold medals and world championships?

I thought Black Lives Matter? Or is it that only Black Men's Lives Matter? sure sounds like it from a lot of the comments in this thread...

BLM is not an anti-criticism movement. It wouldn't be a credible movement if it was. Biles is not immune from criticism from me just because she's black and neither is any other athlete. If she does something that I think is questionable I will say something about it and it's possible to do that while still maintaining a healthy BLM moral compass.

As far as what she did... look, I'm someone that also suffers from severe anxiety and I have decades of experience in dealing with that through therapy and I would've strongly advised her not to do what she did - with my main concern being her mental health and long term well being.

Biles and Naomi Osaka are very young and they do not realize that by allowing themselves to run from it - by allowing themselves to justify running away from an obligation - they are setting their anxiety up to become a permanent controlling feature of their lives.

[13th Man]

I've purposely stayed away from this thread because firstly I don't watch gymnastics so don't have a great understanding of the sport and secondly, I always like to wait for all of the facts to come out before forming judgement.

After what's come out and has been said by Simone and her counterparts, I would say that I could perhaps understand the decision, but wouldn't exactly laud her as a hero for it. It seems to me that she got into an unfortunate situation where the mounting pressure was too much to handle, leading her to make mental mistakes which could possibly lead to serious physical injury. I hope that she'll be able to get over this if she's going to continue to compete at the highest level.

GOATs are not known to have mental breakdowns during the most important moments of their careers, so I wouldn't exactly call this a moment to be proud of; more so a major and unfortunate setback. We've been taught through childhood that bravery is fighting through adversity and not quitting despite having the odds against you so is this really brave and heroic? Only in today's society I suppose.

I believe that one's personal health is always the most important thing so if she backed out in fear of seriously hurting herself then who am I to say that it wasn't the right decision for her? If so then I can understand but would add that this decision is deemed as wise or rational at best. Brave and heroic? That's a bit of a stretch imo.

[bwgood77]

Spoiler:

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[itlnsunsfan]

This is not the same as basketball. In basketball, ending up in a wheelchair is not in the range of outcomes. In gymnastics, ending up in a wheelchair is very much in the range of outcomes. Please stop drawing this comparison. It's stupid.

[duppyy]

Don’t really understand the hate she’s getting.

If someone is not mentally or physically able to perform at their best, they have the right to choose not to. End of the day she has her own health to worry about which is more important than a silly medal.

[Mephariel]

To me, if she was hyped up and has never won a medal, then maybe there should be some criticism. But she is literally the dominate face of her sport and has already made her country proud numerous times.

[gmoney411]

I've purposely stayed away from this thread because firstly I don't watch gymnastics so don't have a great understanding of the sport and secondly, I always like to wait for all of the facts to come out before forming judgement.

After what's come out and has been said by Simone and her counterparts, I would say that I could perhaps understand the decision, but wouldn't exactly laud her as a hero for it. It seems to me that she got into an unfortunate situation where the mounting pressure was too much to handle, leading her to make mental mistakes which could possibly lead to serious physical injury. I hope that she'll be able to get over this if she's going to continue to compete at the highest level.

GOATs are not known to have mental breakdowns during the most important moments of their careers, so I wouldn't exactly call this a moment to be proud of; more so a major and unfortunate setback. We've been taught through childhood that bravery is fighting through adversity and not quitting despite having the odds against you so is this really brave and heroic? Only in today's society I suppose.

I believe that one's personal health is always the most important thing so if she backed out in fear of seriously hurting herself then who am I to say that it wasn't the right decision for her? If so then I can understand but would add that this decision is deemed as wise or rational at best. Brave and heroic? That's a bit of a stretch imo.

Maybe it's time to reevaluate bravery. We were taught a lot of things as children that we know now are harmful to others and ourselves.

[styLesdavis]

This is not the same as basketball. In basketball, ending up in a wheelchair is not in the range of outcomes. In gymnastics, ending up in a wheelchair is very much in the range of outcomes. Please stop drawing this comparison. It's stupid.

[Capn'O]

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I mean, if this isn't enough for some people they're just not gonna get it. Experts in her field aren't asking if she was potentially in an unsafe situation. They're telling us.

[XTraderXL]

She certainly has the right to quit in the middle of competition but she shouldnt be called a hero because of that. I dont believe the mental health excuse for a second, she simply messed up and then claimed that she felt too much pressure. She knew about the pressure before she competed so thats a lazy excuse, an excuse she knew is a win-win for her. The whole thing is pathetic honestly and anyone who calls her a hero for what she did is a person I dont want in my foxhole.

[mtron929]

Don’t really understand the hate she’s getting.

If someone is not mentally or physically able to perform at their best, they have the right to choose not to. End of the day she has her own health to worry about which is more important than a silly medal.

At least in this thread, I don't think too many people are hating on her. I think that many people (including myself) think it's acceptable that she quite in the middle, but she shouldn't really be complimented. Certainly, it shouldn't be considered to be a bravery act. But regardless, of course, one's own health is the most important thing and she should do the best to maintain her well being.

[Mephariel]

She certainly has the right to quit in the middle of competition but she shouldnt be called a hero because of that. I dont believe the mental health excuse for a second, she simply messed up and then claimed that she felt too much pressure. She knew about the pressure before she competed so thats a lazy excuse, an excuse she knew is a win-win for her. The whole thing is pathetic honestly and anyone who calls her a hero for what she did is a person I dont want in my foxhole.

STFU. I am not saying she is a hero, but she won medals after medals for the Olympics. You don't even know what it feels like to be her in the slightest.

[13th Man]

I've purposely stayed away from this thread because firstly I don't watch gymnastics so don't have a great understanding of the sport and secondly, I always like to wait for all of the facts to come out before forming judgement.

After what's come out and has been said by Simone and her counterparts, I would say that I could perhaps understand the decision, but wouldn't exactly laud her as a hero for it. It seems to me that she got into an unfortunate situation where the mounting pressure was too much to handle, leading her to make mental mistakes which could possibly lead to serious physical injury. I hope that she'll be able to get over this if she's going to continue to compete at the highest level.

GOATs are not known to have mental breakdowns during the most important moments of their careers, so I wouldn't exactly call this a moment to be proud of; more so a major and unfortunate setback. We've been taught through childhood that bravery is fighting through adversity and not quitting despite having the odds against you so is this really brave and heroic? Only in today's society I suppose.

I believe that one's personal health is always the most important thing so if she backed out in fear of seriously hurting herself then who am I to say that it wasn't the right decision for her? If so then I can understand but would add that this decision is deemed as wise or rational at best. Brave and heroic? That's a bit of a stretch imo.

Maybe it's time to reevaluate bravery. We were taught a lot of things as children that we know now are harmful to others and ourselves.

What's being taught in the schools today is also extremely harmful to the children but I digress.

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So what happened to these words of a champion?

Her decision to pull out and quit on her team was unfortunate imo. I wouldn't call it brave unless the definition of bravery has turned into protecting your self interests before that of others.

Again, I don't fault her for this decision if it was to protect herself from serious injury. I just don't see it as bravery, I see it as coming to an unfortunate but rational decision at the expense of the team.

[gmoney411]

Don’t really understand the hate she’s getting.

If someone is not mentally or physically able to perform at their best, they have the right to choose not to. End of the day she has her own health to worry about which is more important than a silly medal.

At least in this thread, I don't think too many people are hating on her. I think that many people (including myself) think it's acceptable that she quite in the middle, but she shouldn't really be complimented. Certainly, it shouldn't be considered to be a bravery act. But regardless, of course, one's own health is the most important thing and she should do the best to maintain her well being.

Why shouldn't it be considered brave to make a decision that you know people are going to attack you for? There is a long history of gymnasts that didn't have the strength to do what's best for them and ended up seriously hurting themselves and ending their careers as a result. Making the call she did isn't easy and most wouldn't have the strength to make it even if it was what's best for them and the team.

[NyKnicks1714]

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I mean, if this isn't enough for some people they're just not gonna get it. Experts in her field aren't asking if she was potentially in an unsafe situation. They're telling us.

Yes but she didn't have killer instinct like a mentally tough man like Jordan.

(I normally don't clarify, but this is sarcasm)

[a8bil]

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I mean, if this isn't enough for some people they're just not gonna get it. Experts in her field aren't asking if she was potentially in an unsafe situation. They're telling us.

Exactly...and if you look at the video of her vault and her discussion with her coach immediately afterward, you know that this explanation is spot on. When Biles opened up at 1.5 twists on that vault, you can see on her face she was disoriented and therefore scared. She said it to her coach. My former gymnast daughter gasped when she saw what happened and immediately expressed amazement that Biles was able to land despite having the "twisties" and bailing mid-vault. Most elite gymnasts could not do that, in my daughters view. But, we're wasting on breaths on this..some of the know-nothing message board warriors on this thread will never change their view that this was just Biles wimping out and quitting. It'll always be in their mind just like a golfer walking off course in an tournament when they miss a putt...such shallow thinking.

[gmoney411]

I've purposely stayed away from this thread because firstly I don't watch gymnastics so don't have a great understanding of the sport and secondly, I always like to wait for all of the facts to come out before forming judgement.

After what's come out and has been said by Simone and her counterparts, I would say that I could perhaps understand the decision, but wouldn't exactly laud her as a hero for it. It seems to me that she got into an unfortunate situation where the mounting pressure was too much to handle, leading her to make mental mistakes which could possibly lead to serious physical injury. I hope that she'll be able to get over this if she's going to continue to compete at the highest level.

GOATs are not known to have mental breakdowns during the most important moments of their careers, so I wouldn't exactly call this a moment to be proud of; more so a major and unfortunate setback. We've been taught through childhood that bravery is fighting through adversity and not quitting despite having the odds against you so is this really brave and heroic? Only in today's society I suppose.

I believe that one's personal health is always the most important thing so if she backed out in fear of seriously hurting herself then who am I to say that it wasn't the right decision for her? If so then I can understand but would add that this decision is deemed as wise or rational at best. Brave and heroic? That's a bit of a stretch imo.

Maybe it's time to reevaluate bravery. We were taught a lot of things as children that we know now are harmful to others and ourselves.

What's being taught in the schools today is also extremely harmful to the children but I digress.

Read on Twitter

So what happened to these words of a champion?

Her decision to pull out and quit on her team was unfortunate imo. I wouldn't call it brave unless the definition of bravery has turned into protecting your self interest before that of others.

Again, I don't fault her for this decision if it was to protect herself from serious injury. I just don't see it as bravery, I see it as coming to a rational decision to look out for herself first.

Nothing happen to them. She tried to compete and couldn't. Her vault wasn't a "mistake.". It was a mental failure that she felt she couldn't fix in the moment or even a few days later.

What about stepping aside and letting her team win the silver? She could have went out there and kept screwing up and cost them the medal but she didn't.

[gmoney411]

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I mean, if this isn't enough for some people they're just not gonna get it. Experts in her field aren't asking if she was potentially in an unsafe situation. They're telling us.

Yes but she didn't have killer instinct like a mentally tough man like Jordan.

(I normally don't clarify, but this is sarcasm)

She's soft just like all those baseball pitchers that quit on their team and leave the field when they lose control and give up runs. A real man would fight their manager, stay in the game, and give up run after until the end of the 9th.