USA Olympic Gymnast Faces Social Media Criticism for Performance, Conduct
USA Olympic Gymnast Faces Social Media Criticism for Performance, Conduct
What a difference four years makes. In the 2012 London Olympics, USA gymnast Gabby Douglas was a standout, leading her team to a gold medal in the team event (competing in all four apparatus events), as well as winning a gold medal in the individual all-around. She was the first African-American woman in Olympics history to win the event, as well as the first American gymnast to win gold medals in team and all-around events at the same Olympics. Her accomplishments garnered her several product endorsement deals, acting roles, and a reality television show.
In tryouts and qualifying events for the 2016 Olympics, Douglas lost her leadership edge as teammates scored higher than her. When the Olympics began, she helped her team advance to the team final and made it into the final for the individual uneven bars event. Though she scored the third-highest in the all-around qualifying round, the two above her were team members. Because only two members of a team can advance, Douglas was not allowed to compete in the final and cameras caught her looking unsupportive of her teammates when they were doing their routines.
Though Douglas only competed in one apparatus event, the USA team won the gold medal in the team event. In her individual uneven bars event final, Douglas placed seventh. During the gold medal ceremony for the team event, Douglas was visibly dejected and, unlike her teammates, did not place her hand over her heart as the national anthem was played. Asked why she refrained from the gesture, her explanation was that she was “overwhelmed.”
As expected, the backlash on Twitter was tremendous and vitriolic. Fueled in part by an angry editorial by Bill Plaschke in the Los Angeles Times newspaper, a typical tweet said: “Gabby Douglas refused to place her hand over her heart during the medal ceremony. Straight disrespect!” Douglas responded to the criticism with a weak apology, but her mother, in a CNN interview, said that her daughter was “devastated” by the negativity.
I’m active in several efforts to stem online bullying, but Douglas, as a public figure in a competitive sport with a global following, needs to be counseled about how to handle public input, especially on the Internet. Letting the trolls know that they hurt you is the wrong response. It signals that their intent to cause harm was successful. If Douglas continues to compete, Internet users will continue to speak out when she falters. The correct choices are to ignore it or to fight back with a confident attitude. I’m sure that she will get back on track. It’s part of winning.
