Ya’ll better leave Simone Biles the hell alone.

Article Written by A.G. Allums

7/29/2021

We, the community of people who love to see Black people win have been in an uproar all summer in reference to the treatment of Black women in the Olympic games and trials leading up to the games... And I'm here to talk my shit!

First Things First:

After learning that Sha’Carri Richardson was disqualified for running in the 100-meter race, and suspended for 1 month because she smoked a little weed, internal beef developed between ourselves (the community of people who love to see Black people win) and:

1. The person or peoples responsible for executing the “rules” to qualify as an Olympian (because if Sha’Carri ran that fast with weed lungs and having recently lost her biological mother, then it tells us her strength far exceeds the expectations of an Olympic games qualifier).

2. The creator(s) of said rules

3. Anyone who wasn’t on her (Sha’Carri) side after the news broke.

Weeks went by and we were introduced to a number of other Black women competing as Olympians. According to crfashionbook.com, in an article titled “Meet The Black Women Who Are Taking Over Tokoyo Olympics”, Naomi Osaka, A’Ja Wilson, Simone Manuel, Ashleigh Johnson, and Naya Tapper were all golden ticket holders for the Tokoyo 2021 Olympic Games; creating history and trailblazing a new era of Black excellence in athletics.

News and media outlet coverage of the Olympic games are to us, the American viewers, a trial of the fittest. I did some googling and found a very dry mission/ vision statement for the Olympic Games. According to the International Olympic Committee, “Our vision is to build a better world through sport. We are not the only institution striving to build a better world – however our tool is sport, which makes it unique.” I won’t take the time to explain why this statement is inadequate because the fact that 2 of the 3 sentences are projective instead of reflective should say enough about the ambiguity of the games and therefore, it's mission. It is an inadmissible fact that this committee has an extremely vague mission statement, but distinct and explicit guidelines surrounding qualifications. Make it make sense!

Then:

In recent weeks and according to the governing body for aquatic sports, approval for swimming caps designed to accommodate natural Black hair was denied. “A US Olympic hammer thrower was also criticized for protesting during the playing of the national anthem and two Namibian sprinters were ruled ineligible to compete in a race due to naturally high testosterone levels.

Those incidents, experts say, show how sports policies don't necessarily take into account athletes of color and the dehumanization that Black women and girls experience (CNN)”.

And Now:

Here we are. Huddled virtually all across the globe in support of Simone Biles; also known as the Goat to many sports fans across the world. Her decision to withdraw from the Olympic Games for the sake of mental health, and the ultimate success of her team has no impact on her GOAT status.

Black Twitter, and some news outlets such as USA Today and The Wall Street Journal stand in support of Simone and her choice to focus on herself. According to Jason Gay at The Wall Street Journal, “Her Platform is unrivaled. Her influence is vast”. This is part of what makes her decision to step away significant. It’s also the reason she can do it. Biles may be the greatest gymnast ever, but they’ll remember her for this, too, and I suspect she’ll be proud” (Gay, WSJ).

In recent years, the narrative of mental health in the Black community has seen a drastic shift. Tools and resources such as Therapy for Black Girls ©, and Podcasts of the sort popped up and made the conversation of valuing mental health a more common one within our community. It gives me peace to know that Simone basically said “hell nah” to the world and picked herself because the amount of courage it took for her to handle that situation is a character trait found far and few between. It comes from a deep sense of self awareness and love.

Sources:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/simone-biles-tokyo-olympics-11627469249

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/2021/07/27/usa-gymnastics-larry-nasser-abuse-scandal-looms-over-tokyo-olympics/5375279001/

https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/06/us/black-women-athletes-treatment-olympics-spt/index.html