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[subsmoke]

I just found out something. Apparently most professional gymnasts retire at a very young age, early 20's at the latest. I knew McKayla Maroney retired young but I thought she was an exception. I never knew gymnastics were so hard on a person's body.

You know Oksana Chusovitina who competed a couple of days ago? She's by far the oldest Olympic gymnast at age 46. It's pretty cool that she could keep going for so long.

 

[PuppetMaster]

Japan's woman's softball team just smoked team usa 2-0 for gold.

 

[AJUMP23]

Japan's woman's softball team just smoked team usa 2-0 for gold.

Well they are very good.

 

[UnNamed]

USA gym isn't that invincible fortress they were in 2012 and 2016. No big names except for Biles, with Carey and Skinner go back and forth in the team, new names out of nowhere, Hurd missing.

Too much pressure on Biles, US media wanted to create this imagine of perfect atlete, that "GOAT" idiotic shit, her obsession to do always better and better. With all the elements from Rio 2016 she would have had an easy win. I hope she is ok, there is no honor to win against a rival in trouble.

Congratulation for the Team Italy, an incredible result in any case.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

USA gym isn't that invincible fortress they were in 2012 and 2016. No big names except for Biles, with Carey and Skinner go back and forth in the team, new names out of nowhere, Hurd missing.

Too much pressure on Biles, US media wanted to create this imagine of perfect atlete, that "GOAT" idiotic shit, her obsession to do always better and better. With all the elements from Rio 2016 she would have had an easy win. I hope she is ok, there is no honor to win against a rival in trouble.

Congratulation for the Team Italy, an incredible result in any case.

No doubt. As I flip through American ad Canadian TV coverage, each time I've luckily caught a segment about womens gymnastics, it's all about Biles. They dont even mention the other teammates.

 

[Lukaku's First Touch]

I just found out something. Apparently most professional gymnasts retire at a very young age, early 20's at the latest. I knew McKayla Maroney retired young but I thought she was an exception. I never knew gymnastics were so hard on a person's body.

You know Oksana Chusovitina who competed a couple of days ago? She's by far the oldest Olympic gymnast at age 46. It's pretty cool that she could keep going for so long.

Have you seen the shit they do? All that strain to the joints and muscles.

 

[Mohonky]

I just found out something. Apparently most professional gymnasts retire at a very young age, early 20's at the latest. I knew McKayla Maroney retired young but I thought she was an exception. I never knew gymnastics were so hard on a person's body.

You know Oksana Chusovitina who competed a couple of days ago? She's by far the oldest Olympic gymnast at age 46. It's pretty cool that she could keep going for so long.

Yeh its taxing and those gymnists typically have a short window of competition. I think the entry age for Olympics is 14 but you dont see many older than their teens, early 20s.

 

[Slaylock]

Distraught Simone Biles pulls out of Olympics team final: 'I was still struggling with some things'

U.S. gymnastics star Simone Biles left the team competition on Tuesday at the Tokyo Olympics after struggling to land a vault.

www.usatoday.com

A distraught Simone Biles pulled out of the Olympic team final on Tuesday, leaving in the middle of the competition after struggling to land a vault.

"After the performance that I did, I didn’t want to go into any of the other events second guessing myself, so I thought it was better if I took a step back and let these girls go out there and do the job and they did just that," Biles said.

She said she has been trying to cope with the stress of competing at the Tokyo Olympics.

"I was still struggling with some things," Biles said of competing Tuesday night.

"Therapy has helped a lot as well as medicine. That’s all been going really well. Whenever you get in high-stress situations, you kind of freak out and don’t know really know how to handle all of those emotions especially at the Olympic Games."

For the final three events, Biles stood on the sideline in her warm-ups, cheering her teammates. With the U.S. women cutting into Russia’s lead on balance beam, she danced alongside Jordan Chiles.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Distraught Simone Biles pulls out of Olympics team final: 'I was still struggling with some things'

U.S. gymnastics star Simone Biles left the team competition on Tuesday at the Tokyo Olympics after struggling to land a vault.

www.usatoday.com

She's been on centre stage scooping up endless medals at the last Olympics and at various global tournaments. But Olympics 2020 is much different?

Personally, I think she messed up and is a quitter.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Yeh its taxing and those gymnists typically have a short window of competition. I think the entry age for Olympics is 14 but you dont see many older than their teens, early 20s.

I'm no biologist, but might have to do with growing up, getting bigger, and less flexible. So even though female gymnasts look skewed to small most of the time and wont grow into giants by age 22, it looks like the kind of event where if you put on 3 inches and 13 lbs it can make or break the execution.

 

[Raven117]

She's been on centre stage scooping up endless medals at the last Olympics and at various global tournaments. But Olympics 2020 is much different?

Personally, I think she messed up and is a quitter.

I certainly understand the immense pressure she was under.....but that is also not unique to athletes competing at her level.

Like it or not, this will leave a blemish on her otherwise absolutely sterling record.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

I certainly understand the immense pressure she was under.....but that is also not unique to athletes competing at her level.

Like it or not, this will leave a blemish on her otherwise absolutely sterling record.

Quitting can be a good thing. Sounds crazy. But if at that moment she feels better to take a back seat and let another teammate take over, that is a team player.

Other sports, it seems the coach calls the shots so even if a player is playing crap, he might have no choice but to keep going even if he feels deep down he's having an off day.

 

[Raven117]

Quitting can be a good thing. Sounds crazy. But if at that moment she feels better to take a back seat and let another teammate take over, that is a team player.

Other sports, it seems the coach calls the shots so even if a player is playing crap, he might have no choice but to keep going even if he feels deep down he's having an off day.

Yeah, but I'm not too sure that is going on here. We wont know though.

If some of the reports are true, she just cracked under the pressure. Bummer as she is indeed the best gymnast ever...

 

[jason10mm]

I wonder if male gymnastics has the same issue with too young competitors sneaking in. Seems to always be a problem with female gymnastics and quite frankly if your sport can be won by pre-pubescent children is it really a sport?

 

[AJUMP23]

Distraught Simone Biles pulls out of Olympics team final: 'I was still struggling with some things'

U.S. gymnastics star Simone Biles left the team competition on Tuesday at the Tokyo Olympics after struggling to land a vault.

www.usatoday.com

Should we start being mean to her on social media now?


EDIT: I want to make sure we all know this is a joke, be kind to people and encourage them.

 

[DeepBreath87]

Biles cracked under pressure. We don’t have to be mean about it, but let’s call it what it is. She choked. She’s by far the most talented, but she is also under enormous amounts of pressure. When adversity started to creep up during the qualifier, she just fell apart mentally. Not great. Understandable though.

 

[Gp1]

Naomi Osaka cracked no so long ago and was prematurely eliminated on tennis too.

 

[AJUMP23]

Biles cracked under pressure. We don’t have to be mean about it, but let’s call it what it is. She choked. She’s by far the most talented, but she is also under enormous amounts of pressure. When adversity started to creep up during the qualifier, she just fell apart mentally. Not great. Understandable though.

It is OK to crack. she can recover relax and come back. That light of fame is hot and intense. Expectations weigh on people.

 

[Slaylock]

Performing under stress is certainly nothing new. In the past, we've seen athletes "choke" under pressure. Now they opt to withdraw (e.g. Biles, Osaka, etc) rather than risk performing at less than their top level, citing a desire to "focus on my mental health".

I think now that athletes see this is an option, we'll see this as a common occurrence going forward.

 

[SirKicksalot]

I wonder if male gymnastics has the same issue with too young competitors sneaking in. Seems to always be a problem with female gymnastics and quite frankly if your sport can be won by pre-pubescent children is it really a sport?

Male gymnasts start training later than females and have longer careers. Skeletal development in girls means they must adapt to changes in their hips and chest when they hit puberty. Boys don't go through such radical biomechanical changes, but they mature and hit their peak later. The upper body strength they need for rings comes late in their development.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Performing under stress is certainly nothing new. In the past, we've seen athletes "choke" under pressure. Now they opt to withdraw (e.g. Biles, Osaka, etc) rather than risk performing at less than their top level, citing a desire to "focus on my mental health".

I think now that athletes see this is an option, we'll see this as a common occurrence going forward.

Thats the bad thing about quitting. Perception and image.

In reality, it can be the noble thing to do if they think a sub can do better (like a pitcher sometimes itching the manager to pull him and get in someone from the bullpen), but typically sports is supposed to be about giving it your all - win or fail -

You dont quit unless it's bad like breaking an arm for something serious. But if the body is functioning fine, you plow through it. The athletic mentality is supposed to be never quit. And the public agrees. And so does sports marketing.

She's probably at the end of her career anyway, so she might not even care about more tournaments at age 24, but she will be known as a quitter.

Every athlete has bad days and chokes in playoffs or key games, but you dont normally see someone just yank themselves from a game unless a coach does it.

 

[a multicultural team of v]

I kind of wish Mahomes dropped out of the Superbowl after he threw his first interception just to see how the reaction would be different.

 

[Slaylock]

but she will be known as a quitter.

I bet the narrative will be she's "brave" or "inspirational". The word "quitter" will only be whispered in dark corners.

Edit: Searching twitter confirms my thinking:

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Didnt know this until now as I read more info.

There's more womens gymnastics events later in the week.

At this time, Biles hasnt committed whether she'll participate or not.

 

[DeepBreath87]

To me, it’s poor sportsmanship to drop out when things aren’t going your way. How about losing with dignity?

 

[jason10mm]

Male gymnasts start training later than females and have longer careers. Skeletal development in girls means they must adapt to changes in their hips and chest when they hit puberty. Boys don't go through such radical biomechanical changes, but they mature and hit their peak later. The upper body strength they need for rings comes late in their development.

Then it seems like female gymnastics need to change their events to both protect the bodies of young girls in the sport and allow older athletes to be competitive. Focus more on skill and strength and less on flexibility perhaps.

I did see a video where some male gymnast did some female routines and SMOKED it. The reactions of the women gymnasts in the video, surely exaggerated for comedic effect, were still fun to watch.

 

[Gp1]

I bet the narrative will be she's "brave" or "inspirational". The word "quitter" will only be whispered in dark corners.

Edit: Searching twitter confirms my thinking:

Imagine if it was a white man forfeiting a medal match...

 

[j0hnnix]

Imagine if it was a white man forfeiting a medal match...

Twitter would crash.

 

[Raven117]

The thing is....perseverance is an incredibly powerful lesson that inspires everyday people just watching the sport..... Think about every awesome sports moment. every awesome sports movie....Its not about the fact that the "best win." Its about overcoming incredible odds, and pressure to perform above and beyond.

That is what truly...truly moves people with sports.

Having someone crack under pressure takes that inspiration story away. Its not inspirational. There is no hope and dream in it where one can rise above their present circumstances to do great things....

People need to do what is best for them (and the team). If Biles was indeed cracking and could not compete, hey man...thats fair enough. I'd be rocking myself in the corner under that kind of pressure...but lets call a spade a spade here. This is not inspiration and is not something to celebrate. Understand? Absolutely. But there isn't going to be a sports movie that ends in Biles leaving the mat cracking under pressure. (Unless she comes back at the individual events and crushes it....thus overcoming odds...thus overcoming adversity...thus overcoming tremendous pressure).

She is awesome...and I can only imagine the pressure she was enduring...

 

[Gp1]

But there isn't going to be a sports movie that ends in Biles leaving the mat cracking under pressure. (Unless she comes back at the individual events and crushes it....thus overcoming odds...thus overcoming adversity...thus overcoming tremendous pressure).

But she threw the team under the bus...

 

[StreetsofBeige]

The thing is....perseverance is an incredibly powerful lesson that inspires everyday people just watching the sport..... Think about every awesome sports moment. every awesome sports movie....Its not about the fact that the "best win." Its about overcoming incredible odds, and pressure to perform above and beyond.

That is what truly...truly moves people with sports.

Having someone crack under pressure takes that inspiration story away. Its not inspirational. There is no hope and dream in it where one can rise above their present circumstances to do great things....

People need to do what is best for them (and the team). If Biles was indeed cracking and could not compete, hey man...thats fair enough. I'd be rocking myself in the corner under that kind of pressure...but lets call a spade a spade here. This is not inspiration and is not something to celebrate. Understand? Absolutely. But there isn't going to be a sports movie that ends in Biles leaving the mat cracking under pressure. (Unless she comes back at the individual events and crushes it....thus overcoming odds...thus overcoming adversity...thus overcoming tremendous pressure).

She is awesome...and I can only imagine the pressure she was enduring...

The worst thing isnt even the quitting in a sense, since I'm sure there's other instances of people tossing in the towel early. But she is a star athlete. And the all stars are the ones people look up to.

To give people a sense at never quitting, the Mens Triathlon was on yesterday. 62 athletes. Two didnt finish because one guy crashed and his bike broke and the other guy who had a bronze at 2016 had an ankle injury.

The other 60 finished even though the 60th guy was way behind by like 10 minutes. It's not like you get 30 or 40 of them giving up knowing by the mid way point theyre not going to win a medal as they are too far behind.

You stick with it with the athlete mindset of never quit unless injured. And if you finish crap, you finish crap.

Quitters are supposed to come from everyday slobs playing sports and if a beer belly cant keep up then ok you call it quits because you might get a heart attack. But pro athletes should stick with it for sake of effort if possible.

 

[DeepBreath87]

'You have to be 100%': Why Simone Biles withdrew from the team final

Tuesday's news that Simone Biles had withdrawn midway through the gymnastics team final hit hard. But maybe it's the beginning of a new era in which mental health and safety are truly more important than gold medals.

www.espn.com

It’s already starting:

Instead of labeling this night a disappointment for the American team, perhaps it's a time to celebrate the ushering in of a new era: one in which gold medals take a backseat to mental health.

I’m sorry. That is bullshit. Plain and simple. Winning doesn’t take a backseat in the highest levels of athletic competition. Period. If you want mental health to be primary, go get some therapy. But pretending quitting because you couldn’t take the heat is some kind of virtuous example? Fuck that.

I want to be careful because Biles isn’t the person saying this. But what she did here wasn’t setting a good example. People should have the requisite sympathy for whatever she is going through. I’m sure it’s tough. But we shouldn’t be cheering what she did. You cheer for greatness. This wasn’t great.

 

[Raven117]

The worst thing isnt even the quitting in a sense, since I'm sure there's other instances of people tossing in the towel early. But she is a star athlete. And the all stars are the ones people look up to.

To give people a sense at never quitting, the Mens Triathlon was on yesterday. 62 athletes. Two didnt finish because one guy crashed and his bike broke and the other guy who had a bronze at 2016 had an ankle injury.

The other 60 finished even though the 60th guy was way behind by like 10 minutes. It's not like you get 30 or 40 of them giving up knowing by the mid way point theyre not going to win a medal as they are too far behind.

You stick with it with the athlete mindset of never quit unless injured. And if you finish crap, you finish crap.

Quitters are supposed to come from everyday slobs playing sports and if a beer belly cant keep up then ok you call it quits because you might get a heart attack. But pro athletes should stick with it for sake of effort if possible.

We are saying the same thing basically.

 

[Raven117]

Just a little reminder of what true greatness is.

 

[reksveks]

To me, it’s poor sportsmanship to drop out when things aren’t going your way. How about losing with dignity?

Poor sportmanship in this case? Not really, cause the rest of the US team still competed and finished the competition. They would have been close barring the major mistake on the floor.

 

[DeepBreath87]

Poor sportmanship in this case? Not really, cause the rest of the US team still competed and finished the competition. They would have been close barring the major mistake on the floor.

I don’t know. Let’s just say if she was competing well, she doesn’t quit. To me, that’s bad sportsmanship. She’s a champion. She’s been on top for years. This is the first time in a long time she was not far and away the best competitor. And so she just quits? Not great.

I know she’s going through some stuff. That sucks. I’m sorry she’s going through it. But I’m pretty sure what she’s going through wouldn’t be taking her out of competition if she wasn’t underperforming. So at that point, it appears on the outside like it’s not just about mental health. Its an inability to cope with not winning, which is the definition of a poor sport.

 

[godhandiscen]

We have reached peak millennial.

 

[p_xavier]

We have reached peak millennial.

Litterally the Oppression Olympics...

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Heads up. If you see Mens 3 on 3 basketball on TV, it's a good watch. Fast paced, and I think just about everyone knows the rules already. Today there was a match between Japan (two Japanese guys and one tall Black guy!) vs. I think Latvia(?). Good match. Problem is these TV channels keep skipping around to different sports every 5 minutes they showed some of the beginning, then didn't come back till near the end of the game!

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Just a little reminder of what true greatness is.

Thats called balls to the wall courage.

Last hope to win, a limp, and pulled off a move that requires landing hard on a limp to boot.

If that was Simone Biles she would had quit before even before doing the limp jump. Too far behind, no hope, so chicken out as team leader and hope a sub in can do it.

 

[Raven117]

Thats called balls to the wall courage.

Last hope to win, a limp, and pulled off a move that requires landing hard on a limp to boot.

If that was Simone Biles she would had quit before even before doing the limp jump. Too far behind, no hope, so chicken out as team leader and hope a sub in can do it.

And carried off the freakin mat. Freakin warrior right there. Its more bad ass than I remembered.

 

[Dural]

So if she competes in the individuals and wins a bunch of medals, she probably stopped during the team competition to preserve herself for the individuals.

 

[T8SC]

Over the past few years it seems like "Mental Health" has become a "hall pass" to basically get away with things. I don't just mean in the world of sports, I mean pretty much every aspect of life.

It's a shame. Yes mental health is important, but it seems like most people these days have poor mental health when it suits them, but the majority don't seek any help... makes you wonder just how true it is and if it's just that, a hall pass.

Anyway, back to the Olympics, looking forward to more swimming, velodrome and of course the track & field events.

 

[12Goblins]

guys, she choked and bitched out. I'm sure she's got a giant ego who didn't want the haters to celebrate her failure on the main stage in front of the entire world, so she stepped out quietly. you think she hasn't trained her entire life for this moment and this isn't going to fuck her up mentally for the rest of her life? let's move on, no need to kick a dead horse.

of course her fans are going to spin this in the best possible light; so brave, so daring, etc all this garbage is just giving thanks and offering their support for all the joy and entertainment she gave them...that's fine

she lost, Osaka lost; there is no glory to be found in the failures of others. move on

 

[Ogbert]

She straight up folded and couldn’t handle not winning.

She’s a fucking incredible athlete but no amount of spin will change things.

 

[Raven117]

she lost, Osaka lost; there is no glory to be found in the failures of others. move on

Its not glory that is being sought. Its that there seems to be a troubling pattern of this coming from American athletes. I know these athletes are mere mortals...but true sports heroes are more than mere mortals.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Over the past few years it seems like "Mental Health" has become a "hall pass" to basically get away with things. I don't just mean in the world of sports, I mean pretty much every aspect of life.

It's a shame. Yes mental health is important, but it seems like most people these days have poor mental health when it suits them, but the majority don't seek any help... makes you wonder just how true it is and if it's just that, a hall pass.

Anyway, back to the Olympics, looking forward to more swimming, velodrome and of course the track & field events.

No doubt.

In the past 10 years, I've seen more people go on stress leave than my first 10+ years of work. In fact, in those first years I saw ZERO people go on stress leave. Then at my current employer, I've seen I think 6 in the departments I work in or close with. WTF? My work is chill as hell and everyone leaves at 5 pm max and gets paid great. The company has been doing so well we get extra bonuses on top of our normal bonus as were kicking ass hitting numbers. So it's not like people are getting dragged into the dirt like the company is a sinking ship or going broke.

I dont know what it's like in other countries, but in Canada all you need is a doctor's signed approval to go on leave. The employer cant even know why, or what to do to fix things in the future, or know when they are coming back. It's like a blackhole.

One day "Susan" is at the office, next day she's on stress leave. Ask her boss whats going on and she's like IDK, she's on stress leave.

Then over the next week its time to divvy out her work to the rest of the team because every stress leave person I've seen doesn't come back for 6 months. One fucktard has been off almost a year. WTF is BillyBob doing for the past year at home? Or is he chilling out in the Bahamas? Who knows.

One of them was on the firing line though. So she pulled the stress leave tactic. That asshole was found out to be vacation (as people saw that on her Facebook) and had another job lined up soon after. Then when she finally cut the cord, next thing you know she's already working at a competing company as next thing you she updated her LinkedIn. Asshole.

She milked it as long as possible. For those of you who dont know, typically if you get a job at a competing employer, you are immediately escorted out the door. You dont get to hang around for 2 weeks.

 

[Lone Wolf]

Imagine if Tom Brady or Micheal Jordan did this.

 

[DeepBreath87]

Its not glory that is being sought. Its that there seems to be a troubling pattern of this coming from American athletes. I know these athletes are mere mortals...but true sports heroes are more than mere mortals.

There’s this fucking weird infatuation in America with failure. Maybe failure is the wrong word. Because this isn’t failure. It’s victimhood. She’s a victim of her own mental health now.

It’s like if Roberto Duran said “No Mas” against Sugar Ray Leonard, and instead of getting crushed for it, the media wrote articles about how brave it was for Duran to quit and how he’s the real winner.

 

[T8SC]

No doubt.

In the past 10 years, I've seen more people go on stress leave than my first 10+ years of work. In fact, in those first years I saw ZERO people go on stress leave. Then at my current employer, I've seen I think 6 in the departments I work in or close with. WTF? My work is chill as hell and everyone leaves at 5 pm max and gets paid great. The company has been doing so well we get extra bonuses on top of our normal bonus as were kicking ass hitting numbers. So it's not like people are getting dragged into the dirt like the company is a sinking ship or going broke.

I dont know what it's like in other countries, but in Canada all you need is a doctor's signed approval to go on leave. The employer cant even know why, or what to do to fix things in the future, or know when they are coming back. It's like a blackhole.

One day "Susan" is at the office, next day she's on stress leave. Ask her boss whats going on and she's like IDK, she's on stress leave.

Then over the next week its time to divvy out her work to the rest of the team because every stress leave person I've seen doesn't come back for 6 months. One fucktard has been off almost a year. WTF is BillyBob doing for the past year at home? Or is he chilling out in the Bahamas? Who knows.

One of them was on the firing line though. So she pulled the stress leave tactic. That asshole was found out to be vacation (as people saw that on her Facebook) and had another job lined up soon after. Then when she finally cut the cord, next thing you know she's already working at a competing company as next thing you she updated her LinkedIn. Asshole.

She milked it as long as possible. For those of you who dont know, typically if you get a job at a competing employer, you are immediately escorted out the door. You dont get to hang around for 2 weeks.

I can't speak for the whole UK, but that sounds very familiar.

(Probably one for a new topic than to derail this one though).