African American
Related: About this forumThe abuse of Gabby Douglas
Four years ago, at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Gabby Douglas became the first black American woman to win gymnastics most prestigious title: Olympic individual all-around champion. She was 16 at the time, a bundle of flash and grace in a metallic leotard. Looking back at her best event, the uneven bars, is like watching a superhero use her powers for the first time.
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At a press conference on Sunday, Douglas was on the verge of tears. Some of it was due to her dismal performance at the event finals, where she finished in seventh place. But Douglas has also had to deal with some challenges that few other American athletes have had to endure at these Olympic Games.
Prior to the Olympics, many questioned whether she should even be on the team. After the teams gold medal win, Douglass hair became the subject of ridicule again, a flashback to 2012. When that subsided, she was told she wasnt a good American because she didnt place her hand over her heart during the national anthem. And leading up to the event final for the bars, she had to assure people she was a good teammate because she apparently didnt appear happy enough in the stands while rooting for teammates Aly Raisman and Simone Biles.
Generally, the coverage of this games has been mediocre and noticeably sexist, but the treatment of Douglas is a new low. WTF do people want with her?
heaven05
(18,124 posts)I did feel she was unhappy, period. Americans can be very hypocritical when it comes to sports POC that reflect the true state of american culture. I did notice she did not put her hand over her heart when the SSB played and I applauded as I chuckled and said to others, watch the media make hay with her personal choice. Well I was right. Too much going down in this country concerning RACE and POC for a truly aware individual to believe that fake ass camaraderre displayed every four years in wherever the Olympic bubble happens to be. I stopped watching . After Simeone Biles won. I always reach this point, every 4 years, With this world and our country slowly going to hell in a hand basket, this sporting event is not a distraction I need with police shootings, racists killing their next door neighbor because he was "a dirty Lebanese" and the New Nazi Party of America pushing their true agenda as personified by their fuhrer.
wildeyed
(11,243 posts)She would have been contending for all-around gold again, except that her own team was so deep in talent that she couldn't even qualify, even though she was third highest in points overall. And the timing is hard when your own teammate is a once in a generation talent. To me, Douglas looked like a thoughtful, intense, highly intelligent young lady who was coming to terms with adulthood and her own limits and goals. Nothing she said or did was bad sportsmanship. It was her demeanor and "tone" that people objected to . Being unhappy is just part of competing at a high level. Being exhausted and stressed out of your mind is also a big part of that. There is no way to be great if you are not constantly dissatisfied with yourself and your performance. Other athletes are given the space to do that. But not Gabby And this is symbolic of what we, as a culture, do to our most gifted black members. Just pepper them with bullshit and negativity until they question their own sanity. It is such a waste.
Ellen Forradalom
(16,179 posts)Who was confronted with a similar talent. Add the rule "there shall only be one token" to the rule "there shall only be one anointed gymnastics queen each Games" and it's a lot of pressure on Gabby.
Chitown Kev
(2,197 posts)IIRC, Korbut suffered an injury at the '76 Olympics which hindered her performance...which would not have been better than Nadia Comeneci's, at any rate
pnwmom
(109,630 posts)JI7
(90,844 posts)what i noticed and what many foreigners noticed was how so many white people kept insisting she didn't deserve it and instead some non american deserved it.
even the foreigners who were from the same country as the girls gabby beat kept trying to convince them that gabby DID deserve it .
but some americans just could not accept that a black girl won that award.
it has been horrible hearing the attacks on her over this . all the while many of the same people are supporting the trump.
and the fucked up media does nothing to call it out. they just think it's an acceptable thing to debate whether gabby hates america.