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Hero, Villain or Human—Why Is the Public so Divided Over Simone Biles?

Sports and mental health. It’s a conversation that we rarely heard in the past, but mental health has come to the forefront thanks to notable athletes. Earlier this year, Naomi Osaka refused to participate in media obligations because of mental health struggles. Now, Simone Biles is at the center of the conversation. Biles is the World Championships’ most decorated gymnast in history, even at the young age of 24. However, all success comes with the pressures and scrutiny of the public eye. So, what happened?

Why did Simone Biles withdraw?

On July 27, Biles was competing in the U.S. team gymnastics finals. While doing her vault routine, she did a 1.5 twist instead of a 2.5-twisting Yurchenko and stumbled on the landing. After this, Biles withdrew from the U.S. team gymnastics finals citing mental health issues. 

During her vault, she experienced something midair gymnasts call the “twisties.” The “twisties” are when gymnasts in mid-air lose their ability to know where they are physically and within the skill they are trying to perform. It can be extremely dangerous because these mistakes could have fatal consequences.

“It’s honestly petrifying trying to do a skill but not having your mind and body in sync,” she said. “10/10 do not recommend.” 

Debates have begun

After Biles’s withdrawal, the debate began. People discussed whether Biles has a valid reason not to compete. You’ll get radically different answers depending on who you ask. 

In an interview with NBC News, fellow American gymnast Aly Raisman felt terrible for Biles. Raisman knows what it’s like to live under that debilitating pressure that many don’t understand. “You know, she’s human, and I think sometimes people forget that. And Simone, just like everyone else, is doing the best that she can,” Raisman said.

While others, such as Olympic wrestling gold medalist Henry Cejudo,  disagreed. Cejudo posted a tweet stating his own stance on Biles’s decision. He thinks she needs to “check herself” and experience some “tough love.”  While many have blamed the media for putting all this pressure on her, Cejudo doesn’t think so. He believes she made a mistake and that it’s up to her to live up to expectations. 

People are either villainizing Biles and calling her weak or heroizing her and commending her for taking care of her mental health. Ben Shapiro, a conservative political commentator, tweeted a statement similar to what Raisman said. He reminded people that Biles is only human, and everyone should stop attempting to heroize or villainize her. 

However, another conservative commentator Matt Walsh disagrees. He tweeted that what Simone Biles did was an “absolute embarrassment” and represents a “country that has gone soft.”

Broken toes, kidney stones and tibial fractures

With many tweets claiming Biles was weak to take a step back, supporters are reminding critics that Biles has shown extreme resilience physically. She led the U.S. gymnastics team to a World Championship win while dealing with a kidney stone. And she won a National Championship with broken toes on both feet. Biles also competed and won four gold medals while being sexually abused by the team’s doctor Larry Nasser. These supporters are hoping to remind the critics that Biles has shown incredible strength in the past and shouldn’t be punished for choosing her own mental health this time. 

In the 1996 Olympics, U.S. gymnast Dominique Moceanu competed in the Olympics with a tibial stress factor. So, Moceanu tweeted in solidarity, saying  Biles’s decision was something she wished she had the courage to do.

Both sides are extremely passionate. What do you think about Biles’s decision? What do you think about the polarized responses?

*Simone Biles will be competing in the balance beam finals as of Mon., Aug. 2.


If you want to hear more on the negative effects of the press, check this out.

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