Simon Biles hiding behind mental health

[BiscuitEater]

It is 100% up to her. You have no idea what she is going through mentally or physically. That is why we have alternates to compete.

As team captain, why did she put herself in the 'team' competition, only to withdraw due to 'mental issues' (her words) if there were 'alternates' that wee willing to compete?

[Dawg2003]

Biles is the greatest female gymnast of all time with 5 Olympic medals from Rio. She had proven she is plenty mentally tough. To be doing it at 24 is also crazy. I don't know what's going on in her head or if she's injured, but she has nothing to prove. This was basically the send off of an already incredible career.

[bulldawg28]

Biles is the greatest female gymnast of all time with 5 Olympic medals from Rio. She had proven she is plenty mentally tough. To be doing it at 24 is also crazy. I don't know what's going on in her head or if she's injured, but she has nothing to prove. This was basically the send off of an already incredible career.

Great post! Champions aren't afraid to compete.

[BiscuitEater]

F*ck off Rex... you sad sack of sh!t

Please explain 'why' you don't ban yourself!

You would ban 'anyone' else that posted what you did!

[ScoobaDawg]

Please explain 'why' you don't ban yourself!

You would ban 'anyone' else that posted what you did!

LOL No I wouldn't..and you can't cite one example either.

[smootness]

This is an instance where nuance is quite valuable.

Simone Biles is the greatest gymnast of all time. To get to her level, you have to be extremely mentally tough, extremely physically tough, you have to have intense commitment and dedication to what you do, and you have to deal with pressure and the highest of stakes. She has done all that with aplomb and should be celebrated for it. This should not tarnish her legacy or anything she has already accomplished.

Today was a failure. I don't mean in any grand sense, but for the goal of competing in the Olympics, it was a failure. She doesn't owe me anything, and I'm not personally offended at her move. She is free to do as she chooses and she felt like she couldn't compete at her best today. That's fine. But part of what being an Olympic champion entails, as she well knows, is facing the pressure of the world's attention and years and years of training to culminate in one moment and overcoming it. She has done it with flying colors in the past but didn't do it today. She should be celebrated for doing it in the past, and I'm ok if she is criticized for not doing it today.

And then let's not make it more than it is. Like I said, it shouldn't tarnish her overall legacy, and it doesn't mean she's a quitter, etc. But it also shouldn't be celebrated. Today she let herself and her team down. It happens, and I wouldn't be surprised if she looks back on this down the road and actually wishes she had responded differently.

[FISHDAWG]

WOW... so you are in Her head and know what's going on?
Way to presume things.

I'm not so sure he's that far off base.... she's not just representing herself and her team .... she's representing the remaining three hundred million of us .... it's time to suck it up - that's what athletes do

[Todd4State]

This is an instance where nuance is quite valuable.

Simone Biles is the greatest gymnast of all time. To get to her level, you have to be extremely mentally tough, extremely physically tough, you have to have intense commitment and dedication to what you do, and you have to deal with pressure and the highest of stakes. She has done all that with aplomb and should be celebrated for it. This should not tarnish her legacy or anything she has already accomplished.

Today was a failure. I don't mean in any grand sense, but for the goal of competing in the Olympics, it was a failure. She doesn't owe me anything, and I'm not personally offended at her move. She is free to do as she chooses and she felt like she couldn't compete at her best today. That's fine. But part of what being an Olympic champion entails, as she well knows, is facing the pressure of the world's attention and years and years of training to culminate in one moment and overcoming it. She has done it with flying colors in the past but didn't do it today. She should be celebrated for doing it in the past, and I'm ok if she is criticized for not doing it today.

And then let's not make it more than it is. Like I said, it shouldn't tarnish her overall legacy, and it doesn't mean she's a quitter, etc. But it also shouldn't be celebrated. Today she let herself and her team down. It happens, and I wouldn't be surprised if she looks back on this down the road and actually wishes she had responded differently.

This is a good post.

[FISHDAWG]

Well good thing your opinion on this doesn't really matter. And I am sure you definitely meant to use the word "hiding". Like it is any of our business if she is.

And neither does yours or mine ... and hiding just might be the appropriate word... mental excuses work better because a doctor can't really point to anything.... and don't tell me that I don't know what's going on in her head because you would be right- but if it's that bad then why does she think she can compete in a few days or a week?

[FISHDAWG]

You are talking about apples and oranges here. My claim (right or wrong) is that this isn't the reason she didn't compete and was used as a safe cover.

I have no problem with athletes opening up about this stuff. But how many stories do we hear about guys throwing up before games? There have been whole sports movies where dealing with the pressure was the whole crux of the movie. Pressure/anxiety are part of sports and have been forever. It's nothing new and tons of athletes struggle with this and they should - it's high pressure stakes.

I don't see how Dak talking about it off-the field has anything to do with someone not competing in their biggest event because of it. When he sits out a playoff game or the Super Bowl b/c of it then we have a valid comparison.

He's a terrible poster and you just have to scroll past him or put him on your ignore list like I did .... bottom line is she went through competition to get her position on this team which meant someone else that didn't make the team could've competed..... she competed and won so she has an obligation to at least compete and TRY .... I remember in HS my senior year I tore up my shoulder with two games left ... I started and played both of those remaining games and then was operated on by putting a big pin in to pin my separated shoulder back together.... don't come at me with this mental crap because it's very difficult for some of us to accept

[Dawg2003]

She's been perfect up until this point in her career, so I think she'll be fine.

[Turfdawg67]

Wow! Just wow. Keep on being Mississippi people... Holy sh*t.

ETA... obviously not everyone on here.

[Saltydog]

Personally, I think she has the "yips". She felt she had the burden of the whole team on her shoulders and the pressure seems to have gotten to her. At least she knew it and bailed out so it wouldn't hurt her team anymore than it already had.

[William Tecumsah Sherman]

Smootness summed it up. Case closed.

[Offshore Dawg]

I thought one of the announcers said it may be a type of vertigo where gymnastics lose track of where they are when tumbling or spinning.

[Lord McBuckethead]

As team captain, why did she put herself in the 'team' competition, only to withdraw due to 'mental issues' (her words) if there were 'alternates' that wee willing to compete?

They had/have an alternate.

[Lord McBuckethead]

And neither does yours or mine ... and hiding just might be the appropriate word... mental excuses work better because a doctor can't really point to anything.... and don't tell me that I don't know what's going on in her head because you would be right- but if it's that bad then why does she think she can compete in a few days or a week?

You are under the impression that a doctor's diagnosis is needed for her NOT to compete. Once again, you missed the point. It is 100% up to her whether she is going to compete. Whatever is going on with her, no one knows, it doesn't matter. At this point she feels as if competing is not in hers or her teams best interest. Who are we to question that?

[Lord McBuckethead]

He's a terrible poster and you just have to scroll past him or put him on your ignore list like I did .... bottom line is she went through competition to get her position on this team which meant someone else that didn't make the team could've competed..... she competed and won so she has an obligation to at least compete and TRY .... I remember in HS my senior year I tore up my shoulder with two games left ... I started and played both of those remaining games and then was operated on by putting a big pin in to pin my separated shoulder back together.... don't come at me with this mental crap because it's very difficult for some of us to accept

She isn't obligated to anything. They have an alternate, period. They have a contingency. IF someone else gets an injury or something, then it is time to discuss these things.

[Lord McBuckethead]

I agree. But none of us knows the circumstances of this withdraw. Does it suck, yes. Is she "Hiding" behind mental health.... no. Should it be celebrated, no. Should we come down like some self righteous asshats, no.

At the end of the day, our alternate had a shot to do stand up and fill in. That is why we have one.

[MetEdDawg]

For those that don't understand what mental health challenges are going on in this generation that's intermediate school to about 25, I implore you to do some research.

I deal with it almost every day at school. There are so many kids that don't know how to handle things and they are being exposed to much more than their brains can process. And it's affecting them in a very negative way.

Spend a week in a public school and figure out what's really going on with the health of our youth and young adults and you'll change your mind about how desperate this situation is if you don't already know. It's bad and getting worse.