Gabby Douglas & Jesus

[lilwriter85]

I'm not arguing that the gym owner wasn't irritated that he didn't get the limelight. He may very well feel that way. But, that does not excuse Gabby's parents. They owed for services rendered and the gym deserves to be paid. I would hope that when Gabby's winnings start rolling in that they would do the right thing and pay their debts.

I have to agree, there is no excuse for the outstanding debt that the Douglas family owes.

[bellicosebroad]

From what I understand, it's not unusual for a young, world class athlete to move away from his/her family and in with his/her coach. Andre Agassi, for one, moved from Las Vegas to Florida when he was a teen, away from his family. Not sure why the criticism for that.

I can't get too down on Gabby for being a little me, me, me at 16. I cringe when I think of how self-centered I could be at that age, and I wasn't an Olympian who gets all kinds of attention. If she's still like that 4 years from now, I'd be concerned.

Yep. I think people are expecting her to behave differently than an ordinary 16-yo just because she has this amazing talent. I also think that to be *that* good (and to have gotten so in such a short period of time) she would have to be pretty self-absorbed just to actually do it. The coaches are focused on her, nutritionists and trainers and other professionals are pushing her 24/7, all for one goal, the Olympics. As for the bills and other financials, I agree that those are really Mom's responsibility while she's a minor. If she asks for emancipation and gets it, then yeah, she should have to make good on them, or make good on them regardless once she turns 18 assuming the endorsements have come through. (And the "Jebus, Jebus, Jebus" chant in her conversations could be real, or could be a way to please Mom, too.)

[MyNameIsJonas]

Except that Gabby is competing in the Olympics and most likely has not seen NBC's coverage at all. They've interviewed the hell out of Gabby since she arrived at the Olympics. Hell, Aly made the all-around final and they haven't once interviewed her. Gabby had P&G commercials made about her. NBC visited her homes in both Iowa and Virginia Beach. They've interviewed her family members and the family members of her host family. I know more about Gabby's life then Jordyn's life. I don't see how the media has ignored her. If anyone was ignored, it was Aly. Gabby's gotten plenty of attention and maybe that's the issue. Maybe all the attention has gone to her head and that's why we see the arrogant attitude.

It's not about the amount of coverage, it's the quality. I never said they ignored her. Saying that “It’s not that remarkable but worth mentioning that Gabby is the first African-American to win All-Around.†and “The barriers have long since come down but sometimes there’s still a barrier in how you see yourself (referring to any actual perceived struggles Gabby may have with herself) is not fair coverage. They were always saying she was unable to handle the pressure and asking whether or not she could deliver a consistent performance. She did fairly well on her floor exercise and the commentators were silent. Jordyn did her performance, scored less, and there were glowing accolades for her. Jordyn has three times the number of articles and references for the 2012 Olympics than Aly and Gabby combined. I think Jordyn Wieber is a great athlete but I'll say again that Gabby's coverage was fucked up by NBC and it's not like she's never going to see/hear it. I think her arrogance comes not only from her youth but also from her success despite everyone's doubts.

[FloraDoraDolly]

We talk about what the children of the Duggars, Bates, Colghan, Maxwell and countless other families say here. Why does Gabby Douglas get a free pass?

We generally reserve the snark for the ADULT children of these families.

[formergothardite]

Nothing but salvation and the love of Jesus ... provided that we follow a few more rules hand-chosen by you. :roll:

Why must you bully poor scarygirl?! She just wants to say controversial things and then refuse to really answer questions when people ask them. Is that really too much to ask? :lol:

[stum_ble]

Not to mention the fact that we're talking about sports and everything about sports is highly competitive. If I had to work and train and spend so much time in the gym trying to make it to the Olympics and have any sort of a chance at a medal, I wouldn't necessarily feel bad for those who didn't win either. It's the very nature of competitive sports and if an athlete can't handle losing then maybe they should reconsider even being involved in the sport in the first place.

Seriously. I'm not sure what people expected Gabby to do. I feel like offering any consolation to Jordyn in the minutes after qualifying (and on camera) would have been salt in an open wound. Anyway, no one here knows what kind of conversation was had after the cameras were off.

[Rowan]

Yeah, they were calling her "The Flying Squirrel"

That was Marta Karolyi that started it. Of course the Karolyis are infamous for the nicknames of their gymnasts - Kim Zmeskal was a pumpkin (shape, not little-kid nickname), another of that generation was a pregnant goat.... yeah, flying squirrel is kinda cute and not bad at all compared to the others!

I didn't like the praise up to God/blessings on her statement - but it was said in the rush of excitement after winning. Jordyn was the "sure thing" (which I am hating when the media declares that - poor Maroney too) but Gabby decisively beat Komova. I'm willing to give her pass on that if her sit-down interviews are less over-the-top.

[FloraDoraDolly]

Seriously. I'm not sure what people expected Gabby to do. I feel like offering any consolation to Jordyn in the minutes after qualifying (and on camera) would have been salt in an open wound. Anyway, no one here knows what kind of conversation was had after the cameras were off.

And if the shoe had been on the other foot, we would have seen exactly the same thing with the roles reversed. I've been following this sport for a looooong time, and figure skating as well.

[JMarie]

Conservapedia approves of Gabby:

Homeschooled Gabby Douglas -- nicknamed the "flying squirrel" -- soars to her second spectacular Olympic gold medal by trouncing the former communists at their own game: gymnastics. *

but doesn't like Missy Franklin:

The lamestream media conceal how the early hero of the Olympics -- Missy Franklin -- attends Catholic high school -- almost none of more than a thousand news articles about her success includes that fact. **

*to be homeschooled, one should be at home. Gabby's 1000+ miles away from home.

** because Catholics don't or shouldn't know how to swim?

http://www.conservapedia.com/Main_Page

[Phyllis Stein]

It's not about the amount of coverage, it's the quality. I never said they ignored her. Saying that “It’s not that remarkable but worth mentioning that Gabby is the first African-American to win All-Around.†and “The barriers have long since come down but sometimes there’s still a barrier in how you see yourself (referring to any actual perceived struggles Gabby may have with herself) is not fair coverage. They were always saying she was unable to handle the pressure and asking whether or not she could deliver a consistent performance. She did fairly well on her floor exercise and the commentators were silent. Jordyn did her performance, scored less, and there were glowing accolades for her. Jordyn has three times the number of articles and references for the 2012 Olympics than Aly and Gabby combined. I think Jordyn Wieber is a great athlete but I'll say again that Gabby's coverage was fucked up by NBC and it's not like she's never going to see/hear it. I think her arrogance comes not only from her youth but also from her success despite everyone's doubts.

The NBC coverage in my area must have been completely different than the coverage in your area. I thought they went out of their way to sing Gabby's praises and acknowledge her perseverence. There is nothing inherently classist or racist about acknowledging that someone had to work extra hard or be especially tenacious to get to the same place as other athletes from wealthier families. I think it speaks to the athlete's mettle, not puts them down. To me it's inspiring to hear those stories.

The question for any athlete at the Olympics is how will it play out during the competition - will they keep concentration and deal with the stress? Will they make an unlucky mistake? That's part of what makes watching the Olympics exciting, as all the athletes on the team are the best in the world. The topic comes up frequently.

I agree with the poster who said if anyone got the short shrift, it was Aly. Most of the Aly coverage was centered around her overinvolved parents swaying along with her during the routines.

[FloraDoraDolly]

That was Marta Karolyi that started it. Of course the Karolyis are infamous for the nicknames of their gymnasts - Kim Zmeskal was a pumpkin (shape, not little-kid nickname), another of that generation was a pregnant goat.... yeah, flying squirrel is kinda cute and not bad at all compared to the others!

Yeah, I remember the nicknames. There's a book called "Little Girls In Pretty Boxes" that details the dark side of gymnastics and figure skating. It came out in the mid-1990s and is most likely out of print. But if anyone's interested, they can probably find a used copy on Amazon or Ebay.

[keeperrox]

We generally reserve the snark for the ADULT children of these families.

Bullshit. Case in point, Merideth's brother's blog. Also, Solomon's soul winning or whatever it's called.

And if you haven't realized, I've said absolutely nothing about Gabby, because I do think she's just an arrogant teenager who has a lot of growing up to do. But I'm certainly not going to tell people here who they can discuss when a public figure, regardless of age, makes an ignorant religious comment.

[MyNameIsJonas]

The NBC coverage in my area must have been completely different than the coverage in your area. I thought they went out of their way to sing Gabby's praises and acknowledge her perseverence. There is nothing inherently classist or racist about acknowledging that someone had to work extra hard or be especially tenacious to get to the same place as other athletes from wealthier families. I think it speaks to the athlete's mettle, not puts them down. To me it's inspiring to hear those stories.

The question for any athlete at the Olympics is how will it play out during the competition - will they keep concentration and deal with the stress? Will they make an unlucky mistake? That's part of what makes watching the Olympics exciting, as all the athletes on the team are the best in the world. The topic comes up frequently.

I agree with the poster who said if anyone got the short shrift, it was Aly. Most of the Aly coverage was centered around her overinvolved parents swaying along with her during the routines.

Maybe we just hear the same things differently.

[PennySycamore]

I heard them refer to Missy Franklin's attending a Catholic high school on NBC Sports last night. They didn't make a big deal of it, of course. Just mentioned that she about to start her whatever year at so-and-so Jesuit High.

I must admit that I've been more entranced by the swimming, rowing and the track-and-field. I can't wait until Usain Bolt runs the 100m and I find Oscar Pistorius from South Africa who will run the 400m on prosthetic "cheetah" legs really inspiring. I've also found the Gold medals won by the British just wonderful. You should have seen me cheering on Mo Farah in the 10000m!

[Childless]

Maybe we just hear the same things differently.

They talked about her not being able to handle the pressure because she fell at the National Championships and it cost her the national title. She also had a couple of bad routines at the Olympic Trials. She has a reputation of choking in big meets. That wasn't something that NBC just made up. They made the statement based on her past performances.

Gabby was way overscored on her floor routine. She has the most irritating music of any I've heard thus far in the Olympics and she has absolutely no grace. She bounces around and never completely finishes any of her dance elements. Jordyn, Aly, and Kyla have routines that flow a lot better. It might not be Gabby's fault that she has bad choreography, but compared to the routines of her teammates and especially compared to the routines of the Russians, she got a gift on her execution marks.

[Haligh the Liar]

Olympic coverage and sports coverage in general is almost always biased- I notice this when comparing local and national baseball coverage, for example.

As for sounding conceited and stuck up, I haven't heard the interviews myself, but if it comes down to Jesusy and annoying vs secular and douchetastic Ryan Lochte, I'd say it's a draw.

[NurseNell]

[Also, not usually mentioned in any article, is the fact that when she changed gyms, she left the old one with thousands of dollars in outstanding bills. Her parents have never bothered to pay those bills. That's pretty low. I certainly hope that now that she's a champion and likely to get a lot of money from endorsements that the owners of her old gym sue for payment of outstanding bills. I certainly would.

Why did they still let her use the gym? I've only belonged to 2 gyms but if your payments weren't current you couldn't use the gym.

[Childless]

Why did they still let her use the gym? I've only belonged to 2 gyms but if your payments weren't current you couldn't use the gym.

I have no idea. Maybe the parents promised to pay once they had money again. Maybe they promised to pay from Gabby's winnings should she make an Olympic team. Maybe the gym let her slide on a promise that she would stay there and put the gym on the map with regard to elite gymnastics. Maybe the owner was just a nice guy who told them they could pay in installments assuming that they would continue to make payments until the debt was paid off. All I know is that the gym owner says there are unpaid bills and its been no secret that Gabby left that gym without settling those bills. This isn't something that just came to light now. It's been common knowledge since she left the gym two years ago.

[Childless]

Olympic coverage and sports coverage in general is almost always biased- I notice this when comparing local and national baseball coverage, for example.

As for sounding conceited and stuck up, I haven't heard the interviews myself, but if it comes down to Jesusy and annoying vs secular and douchetastic Ryan Lochte, I'd say it's a draw.

Ugh. Ryan Lochte is just as bad as Gabby Douglas. Another one with an attitude problem is Usain Bolt. He's amazing, but annoys the hell out of me. Interesting enough, the one you would think would have the biggest head at the Olympics, Michael Phelps, is incredibly humble. I've always enjoyed his interviews.

[She Who Laughs]

Personally, I really admire oscar pistorius.

[E Street Fan]

Yeah, I remember the nicknames. There's a book called "Little Girls In Pretty Boxes" that details the dark side of gymnastics and figure skating. It came out in the mid-1990s and is most likely out of print. But if anyone's interested, they can probably find a used copy on Amazon or Ebay.

That book is why I look at gymnastics and figure skating with a certain cynicism. And I don't trust the Karolyis one bit. Their history speaks for itself, and not favorably.

I'm surprised you haven't discussed Josh Hamilton (baseball, not Olympics, for those who don't know).

[JMarie]

Personally, I really admire oscar pistorius.

I was super excited to see Oksana Chusovitina.

[PennySycamore]

I was super excited to see Oksana Chusovitina.

Oh, me too! I hate, though, how the NBC commentators were fairly dismissive of her. They did praise her vaults as being faultless, but then suggested that she retire as she's too old. She almost medalled!

I know that you can see streaming coverage online, but I don't choose to do that. My computer wouldn't like that at all! It does bug me, though, that NBC doesn't seem to cover much sports in which the US doesn't stand a chance (ie, men's field hockey). More diversity in sports, please!

[FireIsCatching89]

Oh, me too! I hate, though, how the NBC commentators were fairly dismissive of her. They did praise her vaults as being faultless, but then suggested that she retire as she's too old. She almost medalled!

I know that you can see streaming coverage online, but I don't choose to do that. My computer wouldn't like that at all! It does bug me, though, that NBC doesn't seem to cover much sports in which the US doesn't stand a chance (ie, men's field hockey). More diversity in sports, please!

I recently learned that I like to watch the whitewater kyaking and rafting competitions- I watched them every morning last week. Also, I wish they would show the judo and boxing competitions, since boxing is one of the few sports I actually take to (the other being volleyball).

And during the opening ceremonies, did anyone else smile at the independent Olympians? They looked SO happy and enthusiastic!

Yannick Agnel (French swimmer) defrauds me. Nom nom nom.

Okay, all of this was totally off topic. Whatever. Mods, feel free to delete or move.

[ceg045]

And during the opening ceremonies, did anyone else smile at the independent Olympians? They looked SO happy and enthusiastic!

Yes! They were cracking me up. On that subject, has anyone heard an update on the other independent Olympian from Sudan? Last I heard (at the opening ceremony), he lives/trains in Arizona, and couldn't get into the UK because of visa trouble. I hope he made it.