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Thread: Random Thoughts

  1. #49526
    Quote Quoting Dukefrukem (view post)
    Speaking of Simone Biles.....
    Call me heartless, but if you embrace the title of GOAT then maybe don't drop out of competition after a few bad prelim routines. Everybody's being all supportive and blah blah, but if I were her teammate I'd be pissed off.

  2. #49527
    Replacing Luck Since 1984 Dukefrukem's Avatar
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    Quote Quoting Idioteque Stalker (view post)
    Call me heartless, but if you embrace the title of GOAT then maybe don't drop out of competition after a few bad prelim routines. Everybody's being all supportive and blah blah, but if I were her teammate I'd be pissed off.
    Rumor has it she is angry with the judges.

    But yeh, I agree. No way Tom Brady would withdraw from anything.
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  3. #49528
    Quote Quoting Dukefrukem (view post)
    Rumor has it she is angry with the judges.
    If true, that's insane. I watched her the other day and she wasn't sticking her landings. On the floor she didn't just step out of bounds, she stepped down off the floor. Meanwhile Jade Carey was nailing her events but getting lower scores.
    Last edited by Idioteque Stalker; 07-27-2021 at 03:52 PM.

  4. #49529
    I would be more sympathetic to Biles if she and her team hadn't constructed her entire brand out of being the best, wearing goats on her clothes and posing with live goats, etc. Sorry, but every good athlete/coach knows physical preparation is only one of many aspects to high performance. She clearly was not ready for the Olympics. If she were a humble athlete who just so happened to be amazing, that would be totally different.

  5. #49530
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    Quote Quoting Idioteque Stalker (view post)
    If she were a humble athlete who just so happened to be amazing, that would be totally different.
    I mean ... people said the same thing about Ali back in the day, albeit for different reasons.

  6. #49531
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  7. #49532
    Administrator Ezee E's Avatar
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    Maybe no longer the greatest at this moment.

    But GOAT still?

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  8. #49533
    Sweet Jesus, I hope we start recognizing that mental health is physical health. She might be the GOAT because of this more so than previously. Not to mention that, as Simone said, she very well could've done worse for the team than an alternate.
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  9. #49534
    Quote Quoting Irish (view post)
    I mean ... people said the same thing about Ali back in the day, albeit for different reasons.
    I'm not 100% I know what you mean, but on the surface it doesn't seem to me to be the same thing. Ali claimed to be the goat and backed it up. Biles claims to be the goat and dropped out of what was supposed to be her biggest moment, leaving her teammates to fend for themselves with a last-minute, massive disadvantage.


    Quote Quoting Ezee E (view post)
    But GOAT still?
    Everybody who knows more than me says this does not change her legacy as the goat. But for me... on one hand, let's say she drops out of her second olympics entirely -- that would suggest she is not the goat. On the other hand, let's say she only drops out of the team competition but goes on to win the all-around -- that would suggest to me that she is a bad teammate, and therefore not deserving on a broader level of goat recognition.

  10. #49535
    The Pan megladon8's Avatar
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    I think "humble athlete" is a bit of an oxymoron.

    To get to that level, you have to believe you are the best.
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  11. #49536
    Director bac0n's Avatar
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    What I am hearing is that Biles was penalized on some of her routines by judges on the claim that she was doing things which other gymnasts weren't physically able to do - which if true is 1) total bullshit, and 2) would certainly piss me off.

    True or not, she's the GOAT in my mind. This changes nothing.
    Last edited by bac0n; 07-28-2021 at 03:21 PM. Reason: missing my. oh my!
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  12. #49537
    The Pan megladon8's Avatar
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    Quote Quoting bac0n (view post)
    What I am hearing is that Biles was penalized on some of her routines by judges on the claim that she was doing things which other gymnasts weren't physically able to do - which if true is 1) total bullshit, and 2) would certainly piss me off.

    True or not, she's the GOAT in mind. This changes nothing.
    Wow, that IS some bullshit.

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  13. #49538
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    Quote Quoting Idioteque Stalker (view post)
    Ali claimed to be the goat and backed it up.
    She's 24 and the most medalled competitor in the history of her sport. I think that "backs it up."

    Quote Quoting Wikipedia
    With a combined total of 30 Olympic and World Championship medals, Biles is the most decorated American gymnast and is regarded by many to be one of the greatest and most dominant gymnasts of all time.[5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]

    Biles is the gymnast with the most World medals (25) and most World gold medals (19), having surpassed Vitaly Scherbo's record 23 World medals by winning her 24th and 25th, both gold, at the 2019 competition in Stuttgart.[14] She is the female gymnast with the most World all-around titles (5). Biles is the sixth woman to win an individual all-around title at both the World Championships and the Olympics, and the first gymnast since Lilia Podkopayeva in 1996 to hold both titles simultaneously. She is the tenth female gymnast and first American female gymnast to win a World medal on every event, and the first female gymnast since Daniela Silivaș in 1988 to win a medal on every event at a single Olympic Games or World Championships, having accomplished this feat at the 2018 World Championships in Doha.[15]

  14. #49539
    Quote Quoting Irish (view post)
    She's 24 and the most medalled competitor in the history of her sport. I think that "backs it up."
    Yes, I concede this is fair. In terms of sheer numbers she is the best. But the Olympics are her superbowl and the team expects her to throw TDs, not complain about the refs from the sideline. High-caliber athletes should be able to perform in high-pressure situations, and she couldn't have more thoroughly shat the bed. We can be proud of her for being bold and starting a conversation about mental health, but to say this isn't a massive strike against her goat status is unimaginable to me.
    Last edited by Idioteque Stalker; 07-28-2021 at 04:40 PM.

  15. #49540
    Where are you guys getting this stuff about the judges? Did you read or listen to any of Simone Biles's own comments about why she scratched?

    "I just felt like it would be a little bit better to take a back seat, work on my mindfulness. And I knew that the girls would do an absolutely great job. And I didn't want to risk the team a medal for kind of my screwups, because they've worked way too hard for that. So I just decided that those girls need to go and do the rest of our competition."

    "No injury, thankfully. And that's why I took a step back, because I didn't want to do something silly out there and get injured. So I thought it was best if these girls took over and did the rest of the job — which they absolutely did, they're Olympic silver medalist now. And they should be really proud of themselves for how well they did last-minute, having to [adjust]."

    She pulled out of the event because a.) nobody was going to tell her she was underperforming and replace her, but she knew she was and that an alternate could give a better performance, and b.) she knew she risked getting hurt.

    It's easy to forget how dangerous her job is. If you're having an off day at work, you just call in sick. Simone Biles has an off day and she can suffer a spinal cord injury. It sucks that it happened at the Olympics, but I'm sure this is not the first time Simone Biles has had to reassess her ability to perform on any given day. She made the best decision for herself and for the team. It was both wise and selfless. Given the expectations on her - how the country seems to think she owes them something - I think it showed incredible maturity and will power for her to make that decision.

    Moreover, after she stepped away, she went back out there and supported her team as its captain, even audibly thanking the girls after each routine who stepped in to cover for her.

    Being great isn't just about competitions and winning.

    I'm just...I'm sorry. Fuck any criticism or conversation about GOAT status. There's a bigger conversation here and you're missing it.

  16. #49541
    Sunrise, Sunset Wryan's Avatar
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    I wanted to just post "^" but there are character limitations.
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  17. #49542
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    Quote Quoting Idioteque Stalker (view post)
    But the Olympics are her superbowl and the team expects her to throw TDs, not complain about the refs from the sideline.
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    High-caliber athletes should be able to perform in high-pressure situations,
    Why

  18. #49543
    Quote Quoting amberlita (view post)
    Where are you guys getting this stuff about the judges? Did you read or listen to any of Simone Biles's own comments about why she scratched?

    "I just felt like it would be a little bit better to take a back seat, work on my mindfulness. And I knew that the girls would do an absolutely great job. And I didn't want to risk the team a medal for kind of my screwups, because they've worked way too hard for that. So I just decided that those girls need to go and do the rest of our competition."

    "No injury, thankfully. And that's why I took a step back, because I didn't want to do something silly out there and get injured. So I thought it was best if these girls took over and did the rest of the job — which they absolutely did, they're Olympic silver medalist now. And they should be really proud of themselves for how well they did last-minute, having to [adjust]."

    She pulled out of the event because a.) nobody was going to tell her she was underperforming and replace her, but she knew she was and that an alternate could give a better performance, and b.) she knew she risked getting hurt.

    It's easy to forget how dangerous her job is. If you're having an off day at work, you just call in sick. Simone Biles has an off day and she can suffer a spinal cord injury. It sucks that it happened at the Olympics, but I'm sure this is not the first time Simone Biles has had to reassess her ability to perform on any given day. She made the best decision for herself and for the team. It was both wise and selfless. Given the expectations on her - how the country seems to think she owes them something - I think it showed incredible maturity and will power for her to make that decision.

    Moreover, after she stepped away, she went back out there and supported her team as its captain, even audibly thanking the girls after each routine who stepped in to cover for her.

    Being great isn't just about competitions and winning.

    I'm just...I'm sorry. Fuck any criticism or conversation about GOAT status. There's a bigger conversation here and you're missing it.
    Great post. This is the most convincing pro-Biles take I've read. I fully agree that winning isn't all that matters, etc. And maybe she's right that she would've hindered instead of helped her team (though it seems more likely to me she said that because it was the only way to spin it so she didn't look like a bad teammate... "So I just decided that those girls need to go and do the rest of our competition" -- sure she can make her own decisions, but is it fair for her to decide that for the others?). And maybe there's a rule I'm unaware of, but if you're reassessing your ability to compete wouldn't it be a better to adjust your routine to something mere mortals can do rather than go the route of the patented Biles triple flip 5000 or bust? Also, the reasons you cite for her pulling out are fair reasons and I buy them -- but they're not related to mental health.

  19. #49544
    I'm not sure what point you're making.


    Quote Quoting Irish (view post)
    Why
    To prove you are a high-caliber athlete you must compete against other high-caliber athletes. When people who are really good at something compete against each other, there are expectations and a crowd. When there are expectations and a crowd, there's pressure. If you choke or choose not to compete, then you have not proven you are a high-caliber athlete. As Amberlita points out, it's not just about winning -- but I would add to that, "in the grand scheme of life." In strictly athletic terms, however, it's results that matter.

  20. #49545
    Second star to the right [ETM]'s Avatar
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    Fuck strictly athletic terms.

  21. #49546
    Quote Quoting [ETM] (view post)
    Fuck strictly athletic terms.
    Haha yeah. I used to be very involved in athletics, and I'm not so much anymore because I agree with you. So I do feel a little cognitive dissonance arguing against Biles the way I am, but despite NBC's ceaseless attempts to turn everything into a cuddly human interest story, this is the Olympics we're talking about here. It's about athletics. It's hilarious to me that interviewers keep asking Caeleb Dressel if he has anything he wants to say to his family back home, but clearly all Dressel is interested in is his splits. Dude's head is in the right place to perform well.
    Last edited by Idioteque Stalker; 07-29-2021 at 03:23 AM.

  22. #49547
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    Quote Quoting Idioteque Stalker (view post)
    I'm not sure what point you're making.
    You made a football analogy and I just carried it to its logical conclusion.

    In strictly athletic terms, however, it's results that matter.
    Athletes are human and humans have limits. So what should Biles do?

    For male athletes, the choices have been:

    - Juice (Lance Armstrong, Barry Bonds)

    - Develop a chemical addiction (Darryl Stawberry, Len Bias)

    - Develop a gambling addiction (Michael Jordan, Pete Rose)

    - Beat their spouse (Floyd Mayweather, José Canseco)

    - Rape a stranger (Mike Tyson)

    - Bite off your opponent's ear (Mike Tyson, again!)

    - Murder their spouse (OJ Simpson)

    - Cheat and never admit it (not gonna name names lol)

    - Keep playing no matter what and develop a crippling brain injury (see previous link)

    You talk about competition as if it's a pure abstraction but these athletes are people who are part of a business and those businesses chew them up and spit them out.

    For our entertainment.

  23. #49548
    The Pan megladon8's Avatar
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    They also get paid more money than god and are worshipped by men, women, and children the world over.

    I have a hard time mustering much sympathy for athletes / celebs, at least insofar as the machine chewing them up and spitting them out.

    Health / mental health issues are a different story of course.

    But general "boo hoo I'm a pro athlete my life is hard" makes me want to puke.
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  24. #49549
    Quote Quoting Irish (view post)
    Athletes are human and humans have limits. So what should Biles do?
    Hmmm based on the options given, I choose bite off an opponent's ear.

  25. #49550
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    Quote Quoting Idioteque Stalker (view post)
    Hmmm based on the options given, I choose bite off an opponent's ear.
    Really? I figured you for a more "murder their spouse" kinda guy.

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