@Squatchsker
Sigh….
I hear ya…and calling me Turbo made my day because my wife says I am the slowest person she has ever known.
But does it matter at all if she gets a whole bunch of current and former
gymnasts to say she “did the right thing.” I mean in today’s world where EVERY statement is scrutinized by a million Twitter hounds just waiting to point fingers and jump on you for the slightest thing…..what else can they say?
It’s the general “optics” on this…to the normal Joe Schmoe like me.
30 minutes ago I got home from driving my son to a car dealership to pick up his car that was in the shop. Both he and his wife work in far separate locations so two cars are just a must. A major PITA when one breaks.
As we are driving, he turns to me….out of the blue and says “How about that Olympic gymnast Pops? Must be nice to just say…sorry I need to take a mental health break during the ONLY competition that anyone outside gymnastics gives a crap about. Wonder what would happen to me if I said to my work one day….sorry folks…packing it in for a while. I need to take a mental health break. This is that Gymnasts JOB! And sure it’s high pressure, but so is my job and so is my brother’s and Dad…you had the highest pressure job of all.
THIS is exactly the attitude The VAST majority of Americans will have….for better or worse, it is what it is…..and the Gal has tarnished her reputation and ABSOLUTELY let down her teammates….and her country for that matter.
And it all could have been avoided by either having the guts to recognize the problem when it was first identified (as all of the apologists are now bringing up) and NOT participating to begin with. Or gut it out and deal with whatever ending. Knowing you gave your best given the circumstances.
But the bigger issue here…at least to me…is her abrogated responsibilities to her team and yes her nation…and her statements and ….and attitude.
She needs to just
shut up! Just leave and go home, get some help and quietly try to heal. She could have just left the Olympics with an “unspecified injury”…kept it quiet. People would have dismissed it and forgotten about it after a day or so. The press will have forgotten about this in a week.
But not if she keeps attending press conferences. Just
STOP trying to justify that which simply CANNOT be justified to most common sense, normal people who face adversity every damn day of their lives and……still show up.
The damage has been done. Don’t keep making it worse!