Cycling? Way too long on some. Some re-broadcast without clarifying. This has been a scavenger hunt for us. Bizarre choices, too. Our gripe is the premium placed on backstories and profiles and schmaltzy stuff rather than the competitions. I would watch the medals.
Low tide: Every interview of winners starting out with talking about the winner's feelings. Clue: Just won a gold medal, international stage, how might they feel.
The event is better than this scattergun broadcasting in our opinion. Football, please. Popcorn is waiting.
"Every responsibility implies opportunity, and every opportunity implies responsibility." Otis Allen Glazebrook, 1880
Simone Biles withdraws from team final, U.S. women win silver in gymnastics
It is not clear if Biles will compete in Thursday's individual all-around competition, where she is the defending champion.
Simone Biles, who shocked the Olympic world Tuesday when she pulled out of the U.S. team gymnastics finals, said the emotional toll of the Tokyo Games, rather than a physical injury, prompted her withdrawal.
"Physically, I feel good. I'm in shape," Biles told Hoda Kotb on NBC's "TODAY" show following her exit. "Emotionally, it varies on the time and moment. Coming to the Olympics and being head star isn't an easy feat."
She explained further to NBC's Andrea Joyce that her struggle was "more mental, and we’re just dealing with a couple of things internally."
But "the girls did well. They stepped up when they needed to," she said.
After Biles' departure, the U.S. women's gymnastics team won silver.
The Russian Olympic Committee won gold and the British team won bronze. The U.S. was hoping to clinch its third straight championship with a strong team, with Biles leading.
"I'm OK," she told Kotb. "Just super frustrated. But super proud of these girls and now we're silver medalists — something we'll cherish forever. We hope America still loves us."
A statement from USA Gymnastics originally said the 24-year-old gymnast withdrew due to a medical issue.
"She will be assessed daily to determine medical clearance for future competitions," officials said in the statement.
Biles’ coach later told NBC that “physically she is fine. But she is done for the night."
Though shaky on some by her standards, Biles had qualified for all finals and was expected to go on to compete in individual all-around, floor exercise, beam, uneven bars and vault.
Kotb asked Biles if viewers can expect to see her in Thursday's individual all-around competition, where she is the defending champion.
"We're gonna take it day by day, and we're just gonna see," she said.
The four-time Olympic gold medalist competed in Team USA's first rotation on vault Tuesday, bailing out of her Amanar and only completing a 1.5 twist on a 2.5-twisting Yurchenko, then taking a big stumble on the landing.
She then huddled with a trainer and exited the floor with the team doctor.
Biles scored a 13.766. An Amanar can score a maximum of 15.8. In qualifications, Biles scored a 15.183 on vault.
She then was expected to compete on the uneven bars, but Jordan Chiles was subbed in.
Biles returned to the floor with her team, in a sweatsuit, to cheer them on in remaining rotations from the sidelines.
She told Kotb that her teammates, Chiles, Sunisa Lee and Grace McCallum, "were freaking out" when she told them she was going to sit out the rest of the final.
"They were like crying," she said. "And I was like, 'You guys need to relax. You’re going to be fine without me. Go out there you kick some butt just like you’ve done in training and just lay it out on the floor.'"
Kotb pointed out that she essentially stepped into a coaching role.
"I kinda like that a little bit more. I think I'm going to stay with that now," Biles joked.
On Monday, she shared on Instagram that she felt competing in the preliminaries "wasn’t an easy day or my best but I got through it."
"I truly do feel like I have the weight of the world on my shoulders at times. I know I brush it off and make it seem like pressure doesn’t affect me but damn sometimes it’s hard hahaha! The olympics is no joke!" she wrote.
Biles won five medals in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and has a chance to win six at these games. She is not only the star of the women's gymnastics team, but arguably the biggest name on Team USA.
Aly Raisman, a former Team USA gymnast who won three Olympic gold medals, said on "TODAY" that she felt "sick to her stomach" about Biles' exit.
“I think that Simone is the biggest story going into the Olympics, so this is just, it’s really, really devastating,” she said. “But I think it’s also just really important to think about how much pressure has been on her, and there’s only so much that someone can take. 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.”
NBC Olympics prime time host Mike Tirico said Biles' departure was "certainly as odd a turn I think as anyone expected."
"It was a bizarre twist to say the least," he said. But Tirico also noted that for Biles, "internally, externally, there was a lot of pressure a lot of expectations and sometimes it’s hard to deliver when that’s the case."
"We can’t imagine what kind of pressure" she's under, he said.
Tirico lauded Biles' teammates, who "with no margin for error, were able to win the silver, which is a great effort on their part."
Inside Simone Biles’ shocking exit: Anatomy of an Olympics breakdown By Jane Ridley
Updated: July 27, 2021 | 9:03pm
America’s beloved gymnast announced Tuesday that she was withdrawing from the team competition following a “stunning breakdown” at the long-delayed 2020 Olympics, citing mental health issues — and not an injury — that were exacerbated by the pressure to be “head star” at the summer games.
After her unexpected departure, the USA women’s gymnastics team ended up taking home the silver medal without 24-year-old Biles, a four-time Olympic gold medalist.
After a fraught performance at Tokyo prelims on Monday, Biles already seemed to be hinting at a struggle. She opened up on Instagram, saying: “I truly do feel like I have the weight of the world upon my shoulders at times.”
Simone Biles announced Tuesday that she was withdrawing from the team competition at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, citing mental health issues.
She continued, “I know I brush it off and make it seem like pressure doesn’t affect me but sometimes it’s hard, hahaha! The Olympics is no joke.”
And at a press conference after her teammates’ silver medal win Tuesday, Biles hinted at a more serious weight on her shoulders.
“Whenever you get in a high-stress situation, you kind of freak out. I have to focus on my mental health and not jeopardize my health and well-being,” she said.
“We have to protect our body and our mind … It just sucks when you’re fighting with your own head.”
But Biles clearly hid the full inner turmoil she was experiencing — a private agony that bubbled to the surfaced on Tuesday when she formally withdrew from the team competition.
“There’s more to life than just gymnastics,” Biles told reporters at a press conference alongside her teammates. “It’s very unfortunate that it happened at this stage, because I definitely wanted it to go a little bit better. [I will] take it one day at a time and we’re gonna see how the rest goes.”
Simone Biles of Team United States competes on vault during the women's team final on day four of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games on Tuesday. Simone Biles of Team United States competes on vault during the women’s team final on day four of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games on Tuesday.
USA Gymnastics released a statement Tuesday declaring that Biles’ withdrawal following her vault rotation was due to an unspecified “medical issue” and she would “be assessed daily to determine medical clearance for future competitions.”
Biles countered that her only injury was “just a little to my pride … physically, I feel good, I’m in shape,” she told NBC’s Hoda Kotb. “Emotionally, that kind of varies on the time and the moment.”
The gymnast also said her main inspiration to “focus on my well-being” was tennis ace Naomi Osaka, who shocked fans by pulling out of this year’s French Open and skipping Wimbledon on the grounds of stress, triggered by the mandatory press conferences after each match.
Biles also follows in the footsteps of 23-time Olympian gold medalist Michael Phelps, who revealed in 2018 that he suffers from depression and crippling anxiety.
Her path to Olympic glory has been a challenging one. Here is a look back at all the times Biles has been open about her mental health struggles, including her childhood experiences, living with ADHD and the abuse she suffered at the hands of disgraced gymnastics trainer Larry Nassar.
She was in foster care as a child Biles was traumatized during her early childhood in Spring, Texas, when her birth mother, Shannon Biles, became unable to care for her and her three siblings. The foursome went in and out of foster care, but Biles was adopted in 2003 by her loving maternal grandfather and his wife. The pair have long encouraged her passion for gymnastics. In her 2016 memoir, “Courage to Soar: A Body in Motion, A Life in Balance,” the sportswoman discussed the disruption to her formative years, writing: “my biological mom was suffering from drug and alcohol abuse and she was in an out of jail, I never had mom to run to.”
Her high school peers were bullies As a teen whose intense training schedule led to peak fitness, she developed somewhat bulky muscles. As a result, Biles was bullied at school. In an appearance on the “Today” show four years ago, she recalled that classmates would make derogatory comments about her athletic figure.
“People would say mean things to me all the time,” she said. “They used to call me a ‘swoldier,’ which didn’t make me feel the best. I wore sweaters or jackets all year to cover my arms.”
She was treated by a sports psychologist at 16. After a poor performance at the 2013 US Classic, Biles’ confidence plummeted. She consulted Houston-based sports psychologist Robert B. Andrews, who helped her manage her nerves and use her excitement to improve her skills.
“After working with Robert, I was able to recover and get my confidence back,” she said in a joint interview with Andrews in 2014. The expert also taught her ways to “calm down” after competing. “I found that I was getting too intense,” Biles admitted. “Working with Robert also helped ease my fears and I found more confidence.”
In 2016, hackers managed to access Biles’ health records and released unauthorized, previously unknown details about her mental health. They exposed her as having ADHD, a condition for which she was prescribed medication.
Biles came out fighting, taking to Twitter to explain she was not cowed by the diagnosis. She defiantly posted: “Having ADHD, and taking medicine for it is nothing to be ashamed of, nothing that I’m afraid to let people know.”
Discussing the disorder in an NPR interview, Biles said: “At a very young age, I didn’t realize what the diagnosis was. But it was a very good outing for me to get some energy out and then come home tired, do some homework and go to bed easier.” She added that she never saw it as a disability: “Other kids have it as well. And it’s just we’re more active and hyper than them, and I never think of that as a downfall. If anything, I see it as a cool thing ’cause, like, we have more energy.”
She revealed she was abused by Larry Nassar
In 2018, Biles revealed she was one of the more than 100 female gymnasts who accused team doctor Larry Nassar of molestation.
Besides saying the abuse brought about suicidal thoughts, she released a lengthy statement on her social media platforms. It was posted the day before a sentencing hearing at which Vassar heard victim impact statements.
“Most of you know me as a happy, giggly and energetic girl. But lately … I’ve felt a bit broken and the more I try to shut off the voice in my head the louder it screams,” Biles wrote.
If 2018 wasn’t bad enough, Biles endured another family crisis. Tevin Biles Thomas, the golden girl’s older brother, was charged in the fatal shooting of three people at a New Year’s Eve party in Cleveland, Ohio. He was ultimately acquitted this spring after a judge agreed with defense lawyers that there was insufficient evidence to justify a guilty verdict.
The pandemic put her ambitions on hold. Like many athletes with their hearts set on competing in the 2020 Olympics, Biles’ dreams were dashed when the country locked down in March 2020.
In an interview with Glamour, Biles “sat idle” for seven weeks and became depressed and thought of quitting.
“I wanted to give up,” Biles told the mag. “But it would have been dumb because I’ve worked way too hard.”
US basketball team just obliterated Iran. Some of these matchups are just completely unfair. Let’s see if we can beat Australia or France or whoever when it matters
"First down inside the 10. A score here will put us in the Super Bowl. Cooper is far to the left as Njoku settles into the slot. Moore is flanked out wide to the right. Chubb and Ford are split in the backfield as Watson takes the snap ... Here we go."
Anyone have the paid peacock tv service? I'm wondering what Olympic content is there. Can you watch any event or is it just the same stuff NBC airs on live tv?
It's supposed to be hard! If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard... is what makes it great!
Anyone have the paid peacock tv service? I'm wondering what Olympic content is there. Can you watch any event or is it just the same stuff NBC airs on live tv?
Wondering the same. Trying to find coverage is just ridiculous.
Oh that sucks. In previous Olympics all the events streamed for free online. I guess they cant complain about bad ratings if they put it behind a paywall.
"First down inside the 10. A score here will put us in the Super Bowl. Cooper is far to the left as Njoku settles into the slot. Moore is flanked out wide to the right. Chubb and Ford are split in the backfield as Watson takes the snap ... Here we go."
Yeah, that kind of irritated me. It took away the suspense.
I will say that one thing I liked is that they gave the equestrian events a lot of air time during the afternoon time slots. Most olympics they dont show much equestrian at all. So, I appreciated that.
... and only down 3 at the half. This has been a good game. THe US is like 2 for 12 behind the arc.. if half of these went the game would have a different complexion.
US men’s 4x1 doesn’t even get into the finals?? That’s downright embarrassing
"First down inside the 10. A score here will put us in the Super Bowl. Cooper is far to the left as Njoku settles into the slot. Moore is flanked out wide to the right. Chubb and Ford are split in the backfield as Watson takes the snap ... Here we go."
NBC paid 7.75 billion for the Olympics and has basically ____ the bed.
I understand that they are trying to funnel money and eyeballs to prime time, but give the viewer the choice... Air it live AND replay it later.
Sunday morning there was a record breaking women's triple jump, a men's high jump shared gold, and the most anticipated event in the Olympics (100M mens race) going on live. What is NBC airing?? An Equestrian event!
Also, if you're going to broadcast events over thirty channels, dedicate one channel to everything going on and all the options to view it (and include live options ).
Yes, to agree with others, in today's age we are bombarded with info at every turn. Trying to eliminate every source that may give you Olympic results is like trying to play the video game Asteroids -- blindfolded. It's a near impossibility. Can't count the times my wife and I blurted out "SON OF A..." as we saw the results of an event we wanted to watch. How much ambition did I have to watch it after I knew the results? Little to NONE.
"First down inside the 10. A score here will put us in the Super Bowl. Cooper is far to the left as Njoku settles into the slot. Moore is flanked out wide to the right. Chubb and Ford are split in the backfield as Watson takes the snap ... Here we go."
US men’s 4x1 doesn’t even get into the finals?? That’s downright embarrassing
[USA Today] - “It’s unacceptable. It’s so disheartening to see this because it’s people’s lives. We’re just playing games with people’s lives. That’s why I’m so upset. It’s totally avoidable. And America is sitting there rooting for the United States and then they have this clown show. I can’t take it anymore. It’s just unacceptable. It is not hard to do the relay.”
I'm with Carl Lewis: the men's 4X100 was an international embarrassment. The US men's teams have been ripe, hot trash for more years than I can count, but 7th in a qualifying round?
Inexcusable. Unforgivable.
I hope this debacle is just the thing to get someone to wake tf up. Too many egos. Too little discipline. Too many mental lapses. Parcells said "You are what your record says you are." He's right. These fools need to spend some time in front of a mirror to find the roots of their problems, and start a campaign to reverse this crap.
The Olympics should go away. They're Awful!
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