Stop Criticizing Gabby Douglas' Character | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Sports

Stop Criticizing Gabby Douglas' Character

A few clips on TV don't show us everything.

16
Stop Criticizing Gabby Douglas' Character
usatoday.com

It's the best time of year (that only happens every four years): the Summer Olympics. Everyone knows how big the Olympics are, and with any huge event there is bound to be some kind of controversy. Whether it's about what an athlete did or didn't do, what a commentator or reporter said, someone thinking an athlete should have scored better and many other things. One of the biggest controversies I have noticed, or maybe it is because I pay the most attention to this sport, is with the USA women's gymnastic team. In particular, with Gabby Douglas.

There has been two huge controversies surrounding Gabby, the first being her not putting her hand over her heart during the national anthem. Gabby was accused of being unpatriotic and disrespecting her country. Let's think about this for a second, though. This is the second time Gabby has been to the Olympics representing the United States. Do we really think she would disrespect or hate a country she has represented twice? I don't think so. She is a 20-year-old young girl who was probably just caught up in the moment. She has since apologized but people are still criticizing her for it. She's human and she made a mistake, let's give her a little bit of break.

The second controversy surrounding Gabby is that she has not been a supportive teammate. If you didn't already know, Gabby won the individual all-around gold in 2012. In the 2016 Rio games, Gabby placed third in the trials for the individual all-around with Simone Biles placing first and Aly Raisman placing second. The two per country rule kept Gabby from getting to compete in the individual all-around. Now, if you were the reigning champion would you not be heartbroken that you didn't get a chance to defend your title? I know I would be. The Olympics isn't just something you work a couple years for, but your whole life. It's understandable that she is heartbroken. Just because Gabby is upset that she didn't get the chance to defend her title, does not mean that she is not supportive or proud of her teammates.

A lot of people are saying that Gabby did not look happy when Simone won gold and Aly won silver but that clip does not show everything. That doesn't show the text message she sent Aly before, the pep talk she may have given Simone and the support they don't show us on TV. Who knows, maybe she was just in shock that the USA just took first and second! We can speculate all we want from what they show us, but it will never show us everything and we will never know 100 percent what is really going on.

Instead of picking apart everything Gabby has done, along with all the other Olympic athletes, lets uplift her and support her. We have no idea what she has been through or what she is going through. She is young and human and makes mistakes. Her mistakes and actions just happens to be for the whole world to see and can be taken out of context.

No matter how the media tries to portray Gabby, I believe she is a good person; isn't unpatriotic; and didn't mean to seem unsupportive of her teammates.

Oh, and she was rockin' that dark red lipstick during the team all-around final. You go, girl!


Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Entertainment

15 Times Michael Scott's Life Was Worse Than Your Life

Because have you ever had to endure grilling your foot on a George Foreman?

1361
Michael Scott
NBC

Most of the time, the world's (self-proclaimed) greatest boss is just that, the greatest. I mean, come on, he's Michael Freakin' Scott after all! But every once in a while, his life hits a bit of a speed bump. (or he actually hits Meredith...) So if you personally are struggling through a hard time, you know what they say: misery loves company! Here are 15 times Michael Scott's life was worse than your life:

Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

12 Midnight NYE: Fun Ideas!

This isn't just for the single Pringles out there either, folks

16235
Friends celebrating the New Years!
StableDiffusion

When the clock strikes twelve midnight on New Year's Eve, do you ever find yourself lost regarding what to do during that big moment? It's a very important moment. It is the first moment of the New Year, doesn't it seem like you should be doing something grand, something meaningful, something spontaneous? Sure, many decide to spend the moment on the lips of another, but what good is that? Take a look at these other suggestions on how to ring in the New Year that are much more spectacular and exciting than a simple little kiss.

Keep Reading...Show less
piano
Digital Trends

I am very serious about the Christmas season. It's one of my favorite things, and I love it all from gift-giving to baking to the decorations, but I especially love Christmas music. Here are 11 songs you should consider adding to your Christmas playlists.

Keep Reading...Show less
campus
CampusExplorer

New year, new semester, not the same old thing. This semester will be a semester to redeem all the mistakes made in the previous five months.

1. I will wake up (sorta) on time for class.

Let's face it, last semester you woke up with enough time to brush your teeth and get to class and even then you were about 10 minutes late and rollin' in with some pretty unfortunate bed head. This semester we will set our alarms, wake up with time to get ready, and get to class on time!

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

The 5 Painfully True Stages Of Camping Out At The Library

For those long nights that turn into mornings when the struggle is real.

3397
woman reading a book while sitting on black leather 3-seat couch
Photo by Seven Shooter on Unsplash

And so it begins.

1. Walk in motivated and ready to rock

Camping out at the library is not for the faint of heart. You need to go in as a warrior. You usually have brought supplies (laptop, chargers, and textbooks) and sustenance (water, snacks, and blanket/sweatpants) since the battle will be for an undetermined length of time. Perhaps it is one assignment or perhaps it's four. You are motivated and prepared; you don’t doubt the assignment(s) will take time, but you know it couldn’t be that long.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments