Gabby Douglas on her negative Olympic coverage: It was hurtful. It was.
The only criticism I really had for Gabby Douglas this year is that I thought it was somewhat unfair that she got a place on Team USA’s gymnastics squad even though she totally bombed at the Olympic trials. Once she got her place on the team and arrived in Rio, she has delivered. She was a big part of Team USA’s group gold medal, and she’s been turning in stellar performances throughout the Rio Olympics. It’s likely that Gabby was just having an “off” week at the trials, or that she was being primed to “peak” at the Olympics. Whatever happened, I’m glad she made the team.
But people have still been criticizing Gabby like crazy, just like at the 2012 Olympics. People just can’t let Gabby live and do her thing. Was she disappointed that she didn’t get to compete in the all-around because of a technicality? Sure, of course she was. Was she still proud of her teammates Simone Biles and Aly Raisman? Of course she was. But people have still been criticizing every little thing this young woman does. One of the biggest controversies from Rio was that Gabby stood at attention, with her arms at her sides, while the “Star Spangled Banner” played. As opposed to standing with her hand over her heart, which is what her teammates did. I didn’t cover it last week because I really didn’t want to give the issue the column inches – it’s not a requirement to put one’s hand over one’s heart for the song. LEAVE GABBY ALONE.
Now Gabby and her mother are both speaking out about the fact that it’s now a national pasttime to drag an incredibly talented African-American woman over nothing. Gabby’s mom Natalie Hawkins told media outlets:
“She’s had to deal with people criticizing her hair, or people accusing her of bleaching her skin. They said she had breast enhancements, they said she wasn’t smiling enough, she’s unpatriotic. Then it went to not supporting your teammates. Now you’re ‘Crabby Gabby.’ You name it and she got trampled. What did she ever do to anyone?”
Gabby had some words too:
“I tried to stay off the internet because there’s just so much negativity. Either it was about my hair or my hand not over my heart [on the medal podium] or I look depressed. … It was hurtful. It was hurtful. It was. It’s been kind of a lot to deal with. I’ve always said it was an honor to represent the U.S. You always do this for your country, and then, like people say, for yourself and other people.”
Douglas says she has also supported her teammates, Simone Biles and Aly Raisman, who won gold and silver respectively in the All-Around.
“I love them,” she said. “I always supported them. When I heard some of the comments, I was finally like ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa, that’s far from me and far from my personality at all. I’ve been through a lot. A lot. Sometimes I sit back and say, ‘Wait. What did I do to disrespect people? What have I done to disrespect the USA?”
Yeah, I don’t know how to explain it. I would say that some/many people feel like there can only be one gymnastics-sweetheart and this year that sweetheart is Simone Biles. But I don’t even think that covers it! Gabby got the same kind of bulls—t in London and that time she was the “sweetheart.” People just love to drag this young woman and it sickening.
Photos courtesy of Getty.
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