is gymnastics becoming a black sport?
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- Опубліковано 25 вер 2024
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In today's video I discuss the changing landscape of gymnastics and how the sport has become more diverse, specifically more black over the years.
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🥸Blacks were LITERALLY BRED for hundreds of years to be as physically explosive as the slave masters could make them...this gave them an UNnatural advantage over every other rave and whites STILL do amazingly well in sports🥸Millions of BLACKS captured other BLACKS sold other BLACKS to slave masters but you don't like to mention that...Mexico and South America received more black slaves than America did but you don't like to mention that. Jews and Arabs had ALOT of black slaves (slavery existed in the northern United States until the 1880's) and jews financed slave ships and the goods on them
The women’s gymnastic team is made up of Americans, and they are representing America. The team is NOT black American, white American, and Mexican American; etc.
Let's face it, the team is African period. 😂😂
Don't forget Tracee Talavera of hispanic background who won the 1980 US Olympic Team Trials ..Tracee was the 1981 World Bronze medalist on beam and she took US Nationals in 1981 & 1982, she took 4th on vault at the 1984 Olympics and with the team she took home the team silver medal....to be followed only by Laurie Fernandez in 2016.
Take a look at the US women that were injured and had finished in top spots at the different National Competitions who were injured and didn't make it to the Olympic Trials= Gabby Douglas in the comeback of the year, Skye Blakely, Connor McClain and Shilese Jones with legs like Nastia and the stunning grace of a Bolshoi Prima Ballerina and winner of 6 medals in the past 2 World Championships, and not to be forgotten Kayla DiCello, the asiatic gymnast with those long legs of a supermodel......
Goodness! Which 'white sport' will become a new black sport ? 🤔🏅
the ending lol.
That explains why Gabby Douglas was so highlighted back then. I thought it was because of her story but she really broke barriers when she won gold.
I am still wondering how she won. She just looked like a boney chicken hopping around to me. She’s definitely racist and very jealous of Simone. I don’t know how she won other than knowing blacks have thinker skin than whites.
When I was younger, it was Dominique Dawes that was the black gymnast of the moment. she was the first black female gymnast to win any sort of Olympic goal (bronze) and the first one to go to multiple Olympics. I wanted to be just like her. However, she came up in a the age before social media, so if anyone was criticizing her, it went unnoticed.
I feel so proud. Gymnastics is getting diverse and the most decorated gymnast is a black girl. It incentivizes other generations to pursue a dream and practice sports they thought couldn't be part of.
A Black woman!!!! Not a black girl so racist!!!
Which people thought they could not be a part of gymnastics?
@@pjbpianoLots. It's what happens to black people and it happens by design.
Though I'd never had gymnast aspirations, I had others.
It's a regret of mine, as when I became a young adult, I observed how fascinating of a sport gymnastics is. I digress.
I vividly recall my 5th grade teacher (white woman) walking the room, asking one by one, what we, the students, would like to be when we grow up. The laughter from this demon creature when I stated my then desire to be President, immediately crushed my dreams.
I imagine that, before Dominique, Gabby, Simone, and many of the others, they've faced their own similar opposition. I'm extremely proud of them because they did not allow these teachers, peers, and others, crush their dreams. They stood up and did their thang! Kudos to them.
I've since become successful in my own right, but my 10yr old self wanted something else.
@@pjbpianoit’s a sport that shamed you to pieces if you weren’t built like a stick and doing European ballet influenced choreography. Answer your own question. Who might that steer away from women’s gymnastics
It has always been diverse. Look at the 1996 team. A great picture of the American population.
This happens whenever you get a group of people (racial or otherwise) who claim ownership over a sport. When the Chinese team were on the rise, they were criticised for being too robotic despite being technically excellent. To the point that they brought over people from Romania to choreograph their routines. Some people struggle to accept that someone who doesn't fit the traditional mould might just happen to be better at the sport.
The Gabby Douglas description sums it up though. She's the definition of the lithe, girlish body type (wasn't she 16 in London?), yet she's described as some sort of hulking physical specimen. It can only be down to her skin colour that she's described in this way.
Yes! You reminded me of how people used to talk about the chinese gymnast. They were good and people wanted to deny that. People will always try to find a way to deny new talent because they don't have a certain look
Honestly… in 2008 the Chinese girls had more inspired floor routines with better choreography compared to the USA.
The two top bar contenders China had, had arguably better handstand positions than Nastia, and did not have the glaring dismount problem.
People often always called the Chinese women hyper feminine and they consistently won medals on bars & beam throughout the years. Medals black gymnast like Dominique were often denied. The Romanians in particular Gina Gogean were called robotic. That was never said about Asian gymnasts. The convo was about black women not Asians
Shang Chunsong was robotic and didn't have dance finesse on floor. But she's the only one I remember who was consistently criticized legitimately for poor delivery of choreography. But, the Chinese were deficient on vault and floor at Shang's time, other than Wang Yan, due to them being too small. They had and have excelled at beam and bars. Cheng Fei, prior to Wang and Shang's, careers really drove vault to a level which has stood the test of time.
You're right about Gabby. She is definitely not a power gymnast. She excelled in dance skills on beam and floor, and on bars which is considered a non-power, flow and finesse event. Her body type was very thin--I definitely wouldn't have described her as muscular, though all gymnasts are. Yes, she was 16 when she won AA gold.
In the seventies, we were still mostly excluded openly. It is still tough. I’m one of the first black gymnastics coaches in Canada. I should write about those days.
Indeed you should, bc I know there’s a story!
You should. I would read it.
Please write about this. As a girl I always wanted to do gymnastics but the lack of representation always made me feel like I couldn’t be a part of it. Untill Gabby Douglas
Yes . . . . . You most certainly should (write about those day), Olivia!!!!! (Laurel and Hardy reference)
I’d read it, too!
it’s fascinating how across almost any field, sports or otherwise- there is ALWAYS a discussion of a loss of skill/artistry/integrity or whatever . people always seem to be saying things are always getting worse, not better
this!!! even the famous “lebron vs michael jordan” debate and people claiming that current nba players lack grit. these elite sports only get more competitive as time goes on, in my eyes the view that there is a loss of artistry/skill falls flat and is often a result of changes in officiating and guidelines- not the fault of the athletes
What is a black sport? So because black people play a sport , it’s a black support?
@@deloresmatt8643Why are you here Dolores?
@@emiahincthat’s a good point. We could extend your point into football too. I hear old guys say all the time something along the line of, “there are too many rules, too many stoppages, too many ways to foul now, etc.” basically saying the sport is too coddled now, and that players call foul over a boo-boo. Yet, many of these rules make the sport more safe. Do critics of the rules really want the players to get on the field without helmets, hit below the belt, and basically get rewarded for severely injuring members of the opposing team? The evolution of rules is progression, not regression. And even with increased concerns for safety, to your point, team records are still being broken every year. So I would also agree that things are just as competitive as ever, or more so.
Well, but "artistic" is in the name of this sport. It's not too far fetched to talk about it becoming less so.
People were making fun of Gabby’s hair?! I must have been living under a rock, I was too busy watching her routines. I’m glad I don’t do twitter, my blood would have been boiling.
Tbh it was other black people that were doing this.
@@shellyred8732 RIGHT.. CACAZOID EUROPEAN DIVERSION TACTIC.. THEY NEVER DID ANYTHING.. THERE ANGELS AND VICTIMS.. ALL THERE CRIMES ARE CRIMES OF LOVE FROM STEALING EVERY NATION THEY LIVE IN.. COLONIZING EVERYONE'S NATION OF OTHER RACES. THERE HIJACKING OF BIBLICAL FAITH OF WHICH THEY NEVER HAD NOR CARE ABOUT THE THERE CORE.. BUT USE ONLY AS A WEAPON.
Yes. That was very real. Her hair and how it was perceived was a very big deal.
It was RIDICULOUS!
I remember being a kid watching dance moms and Abby Lee's big backed Evi self giving Nia shit for her hair, it's BEEN old. Let black women be!!! it gets my blood boiling too mam:/
As a former gymnast in the 80s and early 90s who remembers being the only black child and possibly the only minority at my gym and at every competition but one, I remember the awful treatment including being called racial slurs, isolation and even the refusal to properly adjust my vault settings at competitions. (Luckily, I don’t remember anything negative about my coaches, only recognition and support). I got to cry tears of joy at Betty and Dominique only to later get to squeal as I watched Gabby soar at one of my strengths, followed by Simone who mended the heart of the little girl inside of me who was an absolute powerhouse at the vault. I’m so grateful to these young ladies. ❤❤
Who would refuse to adjust your vault properly?!? Why?😂
sending love and respect to you
Mad respect for any and all gymnasts but to be "othered" and still show up speaks volumes about you. It wasn't fair nor right what happened to you. I hope your healing continues and I hope we ,as a society, can catch up in your lifetime. ❤
You help lead the pathway an others like you. Bravo 👏👏👏👏
You paved their roads. 😇👏🏿
Dominic Dawes was my absolute favourite gymnast growing up. I loved her style her grace and her acrobatics. She made me love gymnastics and I watched the Olympics for her.
Sammmee!!
Me too
I only prefer complete gymnasts. Whether she wins medals is immaterial. Why? Because a truly great performance will stand the test of time. The wow factor never dies. The judges can cheat & be biased for political & other reasons. But great performance never dies.
We can go further back and look for Diane Durham in the 80s who I felt was greater than Mary Lou Retton but unfortunately got injured and could not make the team. Not to take anything away from Mary Lou, I was a fan of them both but felt Diane Durham had a slight edge over Mary Lou.
As a young black boy in the 80s doing Gymnastics indeed it is great to see so many WOC : Douglas, Child's, Biles, Lee etc.
Dominique had that combination of strength and lightness. Her moves and landings always looked like stages of flight, not heavy like some other gymnasts.
Thank you for saying what you said about “lines”! I’m not black but I am curvy and grew up doing classical ballet. I never had ‘good lines’ or ‘elegance’ or ‘gracefulness’ and I pretty quickly learned it was that I couldn’t have those things because I was short and had boobs, not because of my talent. I was eventually bullied out of dance by my teachers and peers. All that with the benefit of white privilege, so I can only imagine how hard it is for black girls. I was 10 when I gabby won the Olympics and I was OBSESSED with her. I still pinpoint that as the first time I ever cared about sports lol
OMG I took ballet and gymnastics and our ballet teacher told the gymnastics team member we would never amount to anything in dance because we were too short. Shame on her! I was in shock when I got to college and saw that women of all shapes, sizes and abilities were majoring and minoring in Ballet. It made me so mad because dance is something you can really continue to do as an adult whereas it's more difficult with gymnastics. Shame on these teachers for squashing children's life long potential to enjoy dance.
I did dance in high school, and I was a Latina (Mexican) with white skin, short stature, and on the thicker side. I always felt like I could never be as elegant as my white, tall, and skinny peers because my legs weren’t long enough to make those lines, and because my arms looked too bulky and my neck too muscular. Seeing Simone dominate gymnastics made me feel validated to want to dance.
I’m white so i can’t speak on racism in ballet, however as someone who did both ballet and gymnastics who is short and built like Simone, i also realized that where in gymnastics my build helped me, in ballet i always felt incredibly out of place and was never as good as the other thin flat white girls in my class. I’ve heard it’s changing slightly in terms of being healthy and fit not starving, but it seems like in ballet there’s no place for women with curves.
omg yes, i did balle classes during good part of my childhood and even being actually good at it, my teachers would mock me and called me out for nothing while they'd treat good the white girls
So... let me get this straight.
When black people say that white people have no rithm/ they can't dance to afrobeat, that they are not built for it, etc that seems to be fine.
But if someone says that black people rarely have the right body for ballet (an historically European form of art) that is a terrible discrimination?
Before Simone, we had Diane dos Santos doing impossible jumps and also not being gracefully (meaning white) enough, so happy for Simone and Rebeca doing the impossible, making history!
True, she and Simone actually have a very similar trajectory with making new jumps and pushing the sports to new limits.
as a black girl who was a gymnast for nearly 10 years and is very much looking forward to the US olympic team for this year being comprised of so many woc, this means so much to me 😭🫶🏾 (also i loved let her eat cake!!)
🥸Blacks were LITERALLY BRED for hundreds of years to be as physically explosive as the slave masters could make them and this gave blacks an unnatural advantage in things like sprinting and jumping and whites STILL do amazingly well in sports🥸 EVERY OTHER RACE HAS HAD TO COMPETE NATURALLY
🙄You'll hate the fact that their are amazing white sprinters such as Camden Capehart, Coby Hilton and Cole Beck and Dylan Randall and Aria Pearce and Mia Brahe-Pedersen, Kennedy Smith and Abby Steiner out there🤣🤣 Gatlin Bair, Cody Hagen, Andy Bass, Caitlin Clark, Dayton Forsythe are many other up and coming athletes that are white and that will be dominating their sport...people should look them up and look up the videos about them
4 out of 5 WOC, 2 black, 1 black-hispanic, 1 asian. it's here!
Not a lady of color, but I am absolutely beaming with pride about our teams lineup this year. This country needs the Olympics to unite us, it feels like now more than ever😅 I know these ladies have the weight of the world on their shoulders, but I just can't wait to cheer them on along with everyone else! I get fr get teary eyed when I think about how little girls of any color can see themselves represented in dance, ballet, and gymnastics❤
@@nizOnYT She is not blac, she is mix race and Brown/ morena
🫡
The fact that they think making it more artistic would stop black girls from winning……😂
Exactly
And Shilese Jones is arguably the most artistic on the US team rn 😂
It's not about black women, it's about American gymnasts that are not taught how to spot and point their toes. I don't think that Simone could not learn how to turn properly, her coaches just decided that she doesn't need to.
This possibly could be the most ignorant (look it up) statement I have ever seen on UA-cam. Get educated, not racist!
@@idonotknow8503It's not ballet. There are ballet competitions for ballet.
As a former gymnast and coach, I'm so happy Black gymnasts are getting more representation and opportunities than before. So refreshing and excited for this summer's team!
its not about being given more representation and opportunities. Its about setting goals and achieving them. If the girls and their parents get in the pipeline and achieve, they will show up in the places like the olympics. I just hope when they do, we don't get a constant cry of racism over every little discrepancy and perceived slight. The workd is full of those things and I don't want every little spot we enter to turn into a toxic site of complaining and being overly sensitive about small things that happen to everyone.
@@monember2722You're not fooling anyone with this nonsense.
Women’s gymnastics was just as exciting when our women’s gymnastic team was being represented by young ladies who didn’t have as much melanin in their skin.
@@llIllIlI. However, you are full of non-sense.
@@shawnaweesner3759 No sport was ever more exciting before adding melanin.
This is really fascinating! Also, with the whole Simone Biles going to difficulty instead of “artistry” is also being seen in figure skating. I just got into that because the next up and coming number 1 from America Ilia Malinin performed Hope by nf (a rap song usually about trauma) at worlds 2024 exhibitions. It’s such an odd pairing to see and he put in moves that are not normally seen in figure skating. And then he also just broke the world record for highest score achieved by doing 6 quads which is beyond difficult while still being the only one to have ever done a quad axel. But one of his biggest critics mainly by Europeans is that he isn’t elegant enough. But honestly, to me, the difficulty of the quad axels makes it so much more interesting than the artistic expression. But the artistic expression should never disappear from these sports because it does add a lot to them.
Simone Biles, Rebeca Andrade and Shilese Jones all have the best execution in gymnastics. It's not just difficulty.
You hardly ever see a gymnast who can tumble on the beam or floor with straight knees like Simone does. Even supposedly 'artistic' gymnasts have terrible form on their tumbling. They can't even perform simple beam dismounts without horrible execution errors due to poor form. Additionally, many 'artistic' gymnasts have bent knees on leaps and poor technique. They also cannot complete simple double backs or pikes without landing deductions.
It's the same criticism that plagued Nathan Chen. However, as a layperson, I greatly enjoyed watching Nathan skate. Sure, Yuzuru Hanyu had more of the traditional balletic elegance, but Nathan was still a great performer.
Ilia has clearly been working very hard on artistic expression, and I'm completely obsessed with his Hope routine. His performance to that song is ✨captivating✨. I hope he finds a competition routine that allows him to be equally as expressive -- he'd break even more records!
@@cocoroni1031not the best execution of skills, no. For example, Simone is _the only one_ who can _actually do_ some of the skills that are named after her, but she practically _never_ completes them cleanly or without extra steps. She just banks on the skill itself being ranked so high that it doesn’t matter that she always gets point deductions for stumbling a few steps when she lands.
I think you missed two black gymnasts, Tasha Schwikert who competed in the Olympics in 2000 and Annia Hatch in 2004. But this is great :)
also Elvire Teza from France 🇫🇷
Literally thought the same thing especially because Tasha had SO MUCH media on her at the time.
Also Stella Umeh from Canada!
@@korr1990 I think she meant for America though
Betty okino was also the first black gymnast to win an individual medal on beam at the world championships in 1991 & Daiane Dos Santos of Brazil being the first black gymnast to be a world champion.
Wrong again. Ashley Postell won the beam world championship for the USA in 2002 the year before dos Santos won floor. Wait, ohhhhhhhhhhh right! You’re colorist against light skinned Blacks 😂
@@seensay2132you think he’s colorist against light-skinned blacks because????
@@bgreen5234 colorism is the discrimination against darker skin people just loud, anti-black, & wrong
@@gymlandia4467 right!, and on top of that, Betty Okino and Ashley Postell are literally the same complexion, so how is that colorism? 😂😂😂
@@bgreen5234 they’re not actually ashley Postell is way more ambiguous looking relative to Betty who’s clearly black. But again tryna make reverse colorism is ludicrous
Representation is the word, seeing the example of Brazil, a federation with little tradition in sport, gave life to Daiane dos Santos, the first black woman to win an individual world gold medal, decades later Rebeca Andrade appears and credits her as the biggest inspiration in the sport!
@@U2BearCat they don’t, Julia Soares is the only athlete from the Brazilian team who has a ukrainian coach. All the rest has Chico as their coach (he has been Rebeca Andrade's coach since she was 6 years old)
@@U2BearCat the two were coaches of Cegin who coached the previous Brazilian team not the medalist team in the World Championships. Rebeca, Jade, Lorrane and Flávia are all from Flamengo (club with 100% of Brazilian coaches). Daiane only moved to Cegin when she was 20 years old before that she trained her whole life at Grêmio Náutico União
@@Izzyln yapping
@@annekrusova the other person deleted the comments because he was wrong
i’m the same in terms of sparkliness being a must to enjoy a sport
Hot take: the Shawn Johnson vs Nastia Liukin artistry vs athleticism debated needed to happen in order for athletes like
Douglass and Biles to have a chance against racism.
Second hot take: FIG literally changed the artistic requirement for floor after Jade Carey won the floor gold. White girl with no dancing skills? CHANGE THE RULES 🙄
What changes did they make after Jade won?
Karoli was sadistic. He took little girls away from their parents to live at his camp. He worked them relentlessly and restricted their food-they were weighed daily. Nadia said the girls were so hungry they ate toothpaste at night. Karoli would slap her if she made a mistake.
Then Larry Nassar was exposed for sexually abusing hundreds of gymnasts. He was Karoli’s on site doctor for years. While Karoli denies knowing anything about the abuse, the whole situation is sketchy.
So that’s how those little artistic pixie gymnasts were created.
I am infinitely happier seeing WOMEN who look healthy and strong and know how to advocate for themselves.
Italian ra ci sm is on another level 🤡🤡🤡
what are you even talking about
@@chaaaargh They're talking about the Italian gymnast saying that she should paint her skin black. Plus her coach's interview
@@EVELYN-eu9iw That was YEEEEEEARS ago.
@@aliciamcdonald7105 still it's something really common im Italian mindset
@@EVELYN-eu9iw It is a common mind set of most European countries except for France, Portugal and England.
BEEN WAITING FOR YEARS FOR SOMEONE TO SAY THIS
3:24 absolutely. Another dog whistle is "beautiful lines"
It's interesting to contrast the recent changes in women's gymnastics with that of women's figure skating. I personally am old enough to remember Dominique Dawes and the utterly cruel things commentators said about her body. At the time, the push was for younger and younger girls performing super moves facilitated by an underdeveloped body, to the point that China had a medal stripped from them for lying about the age of one of their team members. The senior division then had its age minimum raised to 16, and along with the new scoring system (which admittedly still has flaws) started encouraging coaches and the sport in general to prioritize the health and longevity of their athlete's bodies. Consequently, we've seen a massive rise in the average age of legendary gymnasts to mostly 20-somethings. We've now seen, as of the Paris Olympics, Brazil win it's first Olympic team medal ever, and Italy their first in nearly a century. Everyone who was on that podium was tearfully happy to be there, and frankly it was a joy to watch. I've also noticed, especially in floor routines, that artistry is being given a lot more weight that it was last time, and boy did the Brazilians shine there. Watching mature women give their whole heart into an also technically difficult performance is really something to behold. As a side note, Simone Biles cannot be understated as a lynch pin for some of these heavy reforms that occurred. She's been through so much, but she's utterly invaluable for the future of the sport, and it is always a pleasure to watch her.
Now looking at the state of figure skating, we've got the opposite happening. Certain Russian coaches (and unfortunate copycats of other nationalities, but we know who the main culprit is here) have been pumping out these quad jumpers who peak at 15 and have to retire by 18 because the technique of pre-rotation to reach a quad, in addition to being technically questionable, is UTTERLY devastating to these young girls' bodies. They don't eat or drink and push their joints to the point of tearing and twist their backs in ways that they will never recover from. And forget artistry, the super scores these quads command are driving competitors out before they can even try if they can't do a quad by age 14. And the sad thing on top of all this is, as these girls grow and develop into their adult bodies, it's not even possible to pull off the technique anymore. So they are pushed to perfection, broken, used up, and discarded within like a 3-year time span and can't even make a name for themselves. Some of them with the worst timing never even get to make their first Olympics. I think a reformation is due to figure skating like gymnastics had, the least of which being the senior age raise. Frankly I'd like to see both at 18, but even 16 would massively improve things. Priority needs to be given to allowing these athletes' bodies to develop and mature properly, and the current environment is not allowing that if you want to get anywhere near the Olympics. I think if we started there, we'd see a similar melaninization of figure skating, as we allow body types other than "underweight child" to rise to the top, and actually healthy competitors can thrive.
worth mentioning also is men’s gymnastics! the paris team is expected to have 2 really impactful young black men on it in frederick richard and khoi young who are both incredible. also a possibility for donnell whittenburg to make his first olympic team after trying for a long time and being really resilient (i think he absolutely should). loved this video as a huge gym fan!
😭😭😭 Khoi...
@@Floatie114 ik 😔 just didn’t have his best competitions unfortunately. hugely
promising future for him!!
Fredrick did so well 🎉
Was rooting for Donnell at trials. Tough day 1 but he is such a joy to watch in general
I remember being so obsessed with Gabby as a little gymnast girl. I’m not black but she was so inspiring to me and I avidly followed her Olympic career. Now I’m obsessed with Simone and suni Lee. Seeing how diverse the American team is really makes me proud of my country something I don’t often feel nowadays. Simone is so beautiful and I love what’s she’s doing not only for the difficulty of the sport but also for advocating for mental health and athletes taking care of their minds and bodies.
the simone biles effect ✨
I think it's more Gabby Douglas. She won gold in 2012, if you look at lots of these girls like Shilese and Skye, they began their careers just after then. Simone certaily had an impact and influence but I think we won't start seeing the girls inspired by her until the next quad when they start as seniors.
@@piratesswoop725 Nah it was definitely the Dominique Dawes effect!.... I remember in the '90s black people being glued to their screens to watch Dominique Dawes perform in the Olympics and all of the YMCA's and local gymnastics clubs start getting darker!✊🏾
@@Tmac_305 I agree
Regarding surya and the backflip: the backflip has long been an illegal item in the sport (since 1972 I think) and she wasn't penalized for it because it's too difficult, it's literally an illegal element. She also did it out of spite because she knew mathematically she wasn't going to medal so she wanted to do an iconic middle finger to the judges.
Surya did face lots of racism in the sport but the backflip was not one of them. Also fun fact she skated bare legged because skating tights were never made in a dark enough shade (I think she dyed some but a lot of the times you can see her bare skin)
Correct! And she was a walking artistic deduction before she even walked onto the ice. Her body size and look was counter everything that Ice skating had become at that time. Every part of her existence was hyper criticized. She was VERY popular, so the establishment was super hesitant to validate her (and her kind) with the gold medal. Her back flip was a big F U to the establishment that had unfairly judged her for her entire professional career.
Spot on.
I don't understand how Simone's undervalued beam dismount is in any way reminiscent of Surya's backflip, as stated in the video. The backflip was banned after American Terry Kubicka performed it at the 1976 Olympics - 22 years before Surya's defiant backflip in 1998. Surya did it because she was still recovering from an Achilles injury that limited the jumps she was capable of doing (no flip or lutz). She knew she could not medal at her third and final Olympics and took the opportunity to please the crowd and say FU to the judges.
(At the 1994 Worlds in Japan, Surya had finished second to Japan's Yuka Sato and infamously refused her silver medal.) For sure there was racism toward Surya, but I don't think discrimination directly played into her lack of a World title or Olympic medal. She was a great jumper but truly lacked the edges and musicality/artistry of many champions - based on her skating, not her color. Her legacy should be her five European titles and three World silver medals, not the perceived injustice of her illegal backflip at the Olympics.
The injustice she faced during her career was real.
And she was in her teens for most of her career. I don't remember how old she was at her last Olympics but we expect young skaters to have a lot more maturity than the average 15-18 year old and it's unfair
Olga's little pigtails always looked so cute. I love the diversity in gymnastics now. I love seeing the different styles. I do miss the older composition on beam though!
Where is Daiane dos Santos? The first Black world champion at gymnastics?
Gabby truly paved the way for gymnastics!! So proud of her and will always love her for everything she accomplished. Also rooting for shilese this summer I hope she accomplishes a lot in Paris
Don't forger the ones who paved the road for her: Dianne Durham, Lucy Collins, Joyce Willbourne, Stacey Gunthorpe and Dominique Dawes.
I learned about (and became a fan of) Simone Biles in 2013 or 14. I liked her gymnastics, but I really liked her personality. She brought a lightness and international friendliness to the sport (even to her competitors) instead of the super stoic and serious atmosphere other gymnasts brought. That's somewhat similar to what Olga Korbut brought.
have just started the video but it’s so interesting to see how gymnastics is changing! back when i did it, i was one of the VERY few girls of color in the gym. i remember the struggle of putting my hair back for meets (because you can get deducted for having hair fall out? for some reason). i also remember developing earlier than other girls, and that inevitably being part of the reason i quit gymnastics. i always envied how much smaller and skinnier the white gymnasts were which probably led to a lot of my body issues throughout middle and high school lol. really loved your short film about this by the way! i’m so glad young girls nowadays are going to get such a different vision of what a gymnast looks like and hope more young girls of color, especially black girls, can feel comfortable in gymnastics
i’ve finished the video now and i’m glad you literally touched on all of the thoughts i had! gabby douglas was my inspiration (i used to watch her movie over and over) and it’s great to see that a new generation of gymnasts inspired by her and simone will go on to inspire even more people
@@lilacfields omg you just unlocked a memory for me lol, i used to love that movie so much as a kid 😭
I was 1 of only 2 Black gymnasts in my twin city, 2 state area competing. I had to go through 3 gyms and a lot of racism just to make Team. I wonder where I would be if I'd gotten into a gym that believed in me and had the resources to propel me into TOPS when I started gymnastics at 3 years old. My parents had the money, but it's hard to overcome being held back from advancing because of your skin color. I'm glad that Betty and Dominique broke through that glass ceiling to pave the way for Gabby. Since they were all very thin body types and highly artistic I think Simone wouldn't have thrived until after them, and the code changed. However, I do think there are plenty of Black families with the money for gymnastics. I think it was the actual training and competition barriers that had to be broken.
Well, black parents seem to be able to afford the big price tag for their son’s/daughter’s basketball tennis shoes!
I think it’s also important to mention the grace Asian gymnasts and non-black gymnasts get relative to black women as well. This is seen in Suni Lee, The Chinese women in gymnastics, & numerous others like Laurie Hernandez. Who receive privileges not afforded to black women in the sport. I’d like to add that Gabby Douglas does have the traditional qualities of a gymnast pointed toes, great lines, and extended leaps. Yet it didn’t change the racial discrimination in the sport 🤍
Since Suni Lee and Laurie Hernandez achieved success after Simone and Gabby, perhaps they benefited from the ceilings those women had broken already, along with obviously never receiving specifically anti-Black racism?
And yet black women are still winning. 🏅
Utter bs @gymlandia4467, and I might add, racist.
Your comment is racist gymlandia4467.
@@shawnaweesner3759 You’re mad because she’s speaking the truth lol
I wish you also mentioned the first HBCU gymnastics team at Fisk University. They're making history.
You did a credible job on research. I am very glad that you did this because modern learners tend to only date history from the time since their birth or what's been observed in real time via the lens of social media. Before Gabrielle Douglas was born, a black young woman was medalling at the Olympics, which is something often forgotten or unmentioned. It's hard to believe 20 years passed between Dominique's team bronze (1992) and Gabrielle's AA/T Gold (2012).
Thank you for lifting up the names of Lucy, Dianne, Betty, and Dominique. They are the trailblazers. Representation indeed matters.
watching this as rebecca simone and jordan sweeped the floor final today in paris !!
Wonderful essay! I'm so excited to watch some great gymnastics this summer and personally am incredibly glad that the sport has shifted to focus more on grown women who are more comfortable with themselves and their bodies as opposed to young impressionable girls.
What’s funny is Simone dances more than other gymnasts too, she just also jumps higher, twists higher and moves faster…😂 can’t make this up.
REBECA ANDRADE Was the FIRST BLACK LATIN AMERICAN OLIMPIC CHAMPION IN GYMNASTICS!❤🎉
You are so thoughtful in your presentation and you came at the topic from multiple angles. I've always been a gymnastics fan and follow it closely, and this was so fun to watch! Thanks for creating this!
Artistry allows countries to cheat. Plain and simple. It's no wonder that gymnastics and ice skating, both sports that heavily relies on artsy, suffered huge scandals for Eastern Europe back in the day because they had voting blocks and had built in bias because of questionable artistry scores. Both sports have flourished in recent years by allowing innovation and athleticism guide the sport.
Well said.
So do you advocate for doing away with artistry scoring or? I love having seeing better dance and performance. And gymnastics has seemed to increased the artistry deductions and focus on execution over difficulty (Amanars are hardly worth it today compared with 2012 when they were higher D and everybody had to have one) which I think is good.
Plus in figure skating Anna still won over Sasha who had higher difficulty, so it’s still quite important in both to have artistry
Certainly true when they didn't have clear guidelines for scoring it.
I appreciate what the FIG is trying to do with women's gymnastics (despite disagreeing with some of the details of their plan). The modern "artistry checklist" gives specific guidelines for posture, extension, toe point, etc. The goal is to have something that truly depends on skill, not body type. Everyone knows the criteria in advance, and judges are trained to look for very specific details.
@@BranchDavidian- I'm not opposed to artistry but I think there needs to be a proper balance. Many people are calling for more traditional, dance elements ie ballet as artistic and "elegance", while looking down on other forms of dance as being just as entertaining and artistic. Those older rules favored specific body types and eastern europeans because of how deeply rouoted ballet has been in their culture. Nothing wrong with that, but there was little room for other cultures and dances. There is a reason why break dancing hasn't really made it into artistic gymnastics although it would be super easy and fun to incorporate.
If it were just artistry was truly reflected in the E-score, then there would be fewer complaints of the rise of Simone because she has super high difficulty AND high execution. Her execution on most apparatus (not bars) is among the highest of all competitors, yet people still want to complain.
Rhythmic Gymnastics and Ice skating NEEDS an artistry score since musical interpretation is a big part of the sport. That's not the case for modern gymnastics where dance elements can rack up lots of deductions, so much so that most forgo any movements beyond a few hand waves and hip shakes. And Men's gymnastics is not tied to the need for more artistry via dance movements yet that has not stopped them from producing jaw droppingly beautiful and elegant routines.
Well said. Artistry scoring gives judges the power to deem one person more artistic than another because they have the eurocentric beauty standard of a flat butt and boyish body. Judging artistry boils down to bias, it's too subjective.
This was super interesting to watch since I know nothing about gymnastics but am a big fan of figure skating!! They have a lot of similarities in the way people talk about the sport "losing artistry for athleticism" (although at least in the women's field this is usually in reference to the prevalence of very petite Russian teenagers winning basically everything between 2014-2022). They also both have very strict ideals for femininity in the women's field. Unfortunately figure skating is much further behind in addressing racism in the sport in my opinion and there are very few Black skaters on the international level. I would love to see more diversity especially in the USFS. This upcoming season for figure skating is going to be very competitive for US women's skating in particular though so I'm excited to see what's going to happen. I'm also kind of excited about gymnastics in the upcoming Olympics even though I've never really watched it before lol
I've recently started to watch Figure Skating. I honestly prefer the Ice Dancing to any of the rest of it. But, now I'm paying more attention, I can't wait for more Black people to enter the sport. It is a sport that would lend itself to the athletic and artistic strengths of Black people. Especially watching Ice Dancing, I see that it is mostly choreography and a Black couple could really kill some of these dance genres with some rhythm! I think as with any sport, it will take a coaching team to see the potential of other ethnicities.
People don't realize this, especially with the gymnastics sex scandal really tainting the Karolyi's (with good reason even if they didn't know what was going on they should have been looking out), but Marta and Bella gave Black girls a chance, both as coaches and as US team coordinators. Bella also always admired Dominique Dawes (whom he didn't coach). They were not racists and saw the potential in an actual color blind way most born in the US are incapable of. I wish for coaches like that in Figure Skating.
It's funny to me because Michelle Kwan, who came to be known as (and was) a paragon of artistry, burst onto the scene as a triples machine. And then, in "her" moment, lost to a teenager who...did a more athletic routine. And then turned it around and did 7 triples to win her hardest fought worlds...
@@mjamitche5245 Marta and Bella are not color blind... when it comes to medal color 😂😂. But yes, they see talents regardless of your skin color.
@@mjamitche5245I agree! Ice dance is my favorite skating discipline and I genuinely can't think of any Black ice dancers of the top of my head at least in international competitions (there might be someone but idk)
Im into sports but I know nothing about gymnastics. I only vaguely understood the politics around the sport so this’ll be a fun watch.
I typically only for into sports where black women were present and or were rising stars like tennis and gymnastics. I would literally cry when Serena Williams would lose a match...I was passionate child lol
Same, Simone Biles is the only reason I got into gymnastics!
Well good thing you didn't have to cry often because Serena demolished white women all the time lol
Wow! I'm 72. I remember a lot of what you talked about. You did a spectacular! Your depth of knowledge, the amount of research you must have put into this project is to be respected. You have earned a new fan!
I really like how you addressed this topic with so much grace. It takes a very talented individual to address this topic without alienating any side of the equation. Thank you for how cleanly and delicately you discussed an obviously controversial subject. You are an incredibly talented writer and UA-camr. Thank you for your essay on this exceptional picture.
Chinese are not white, they are very artistic gymnasts. Many black gymnasts are elegant too. Ondine Achampong GB, Rebecca Andrada Brazil. It is good that gymnastics is diverse culturally. Colour is not an issue.
17:16 what is so fascinating is that I live in South Africa and this might sound weird but people of colour (not necessarily black) here call themselves coloured (and might even be offended if you don't), whereas in America and other places you will get called out for hate speech.
Haven't even finished 1min of this but yesss I'm becoming such a gymnastics fan when I've never actively kept up with any other sport before this
My favorite image of female gymnast is not 14, is instead like late teens, twenties too late twenties, and very muscular with huge legs for doing amazing flips. I like veterans that keep coming back year after year with a once in a lifetime type of skill. I like power and jaw dropping talent and difficulty. It is more impressive than fluidity and sticking the landing every single time with robotic accuracy. I like the women, not children, that look like and do things like superheroes.
The figure skating backflip was so cool
My question is to those who criticise current gymnastics for losing artistry over athleticism. Why not watch acro or contemporary ? It incorporates both tumbling, flexibility and gracefulness. Or do you view dance subordinate to gymnastics because it is not categorised as a ‘sport’. Duh gymnastics ( like many other sports) has become more competitive.
Are these in the Olympics?
really interesting comparisons drawn here, appreciate your centering of historical context, eurocentric values, and pressures placed on black women. also loved ur ending
I think not just black girls are dominating the sport, but any gymnast who embraces the modern ways of gymnastics. Gymnastics used to be about precision, technique, and all the beautiful lines and extensions. Now it’s more powerful and athletic.
it's no shock that Dominique Dawes is a 3x Olympian -- she was the prototype for the modern era...it died only because an abusive era started taking form and pushed out older gymnasts to focus/gatekeep the youngers who could be controlled
Those things should still be part and parcel of gymnastics though.
Very well done video. Swimming is another sport that's notoriously void of diversity due to economics and systematic inequalities i.e. the closing of public pools particularly in urban communities.
I mean... It's not like black people enjoy swimming. Ofc pools close. No one is showing up
@@stellablu333lol. Tell that to Jamaicans....who are FOREVER in the water 😂
No, it has nothing to do with "inequalities". People are so paranoid about "discrimination" these days that they see it everywhere, especially where it isn't.
Blacks do no participate in competitive swimming to any large degree for the same reason you don't see any Whites in the 100m race. It's the biological differences that are at issue. It's a biological fact that because Blacks have much higher levels of testosterone (including the women) compared to other races, they carry more muscle mass on their bodies. This is evident just by looking at the differences in physiques between races. At the same time, Blacks have a much higher bone density than Whites. These two things make Black people's bodies overall much heavier in the water. This is a biological disadvantage when it comes to buoyancy and speed in the water which is essential for fast swimming. At the same time, Blacks have more fast-twitch muscles than Whites which makes them better at certain land sports that require explosive strength and speed such as the 100m race and basketball. No one ever complains why football, basketball, and track & field are not very "diverse" and have been dominated by Blacks for generations. As such, they shouldn't complain why other sports like skiing, figure skating, and diving are dominated by Whites. It's biological, not political.
I'm just glad that they're finally actually really women playing gymnastics. It's just been adolescent dominated for years.
The fact that the USA team is mostly women in their twenties makes me so happy.
The fact that there are still sports in the Olympics that allows people who are basically children bothers me. The youngest age person in the Olympics right now is 11. The youngest person ever 10.
When I was a child I would watch it. I would be so confused because I loved gymnastics and ice skating and all those kinds of artistic like ones like you said. I also love the swimming ones.
I think women athletes with their curvy muscular natural bodies seeing them is so beautiful to watch.
I've always loved watching gymnastics because I always loved watching people's bodies move and muscular.
Even as a child and I was an 'art kid' , I always loved the way people moved. They're muscular from their skeletal frame. The human body is absolutely beautiful.
My favorite sports in the Olympics are gymnastics, I love all the swimming sports as well, and ice skating.
15:16 why did Amanda omit that the overwhelming majority of people criticising Gabby’s hair at the Olympics were *other black women?* Quite a glaring omission. Black women online were enforcing a Eurocentric standard of beauty by policing gabby’s hair through the screen. It was rampant internalised anti-black texturism in full display on social media for all the world to see. Extremely embarrassing for our people publicly shaming Gabby for the crime of us being able to peep a few wisps of her natural hair. I still can’t believe Black Twitter clowned tf outta Gabby like that after she’d just won a medal for her country. It was embarrassing.😳
Because everyone knows that black people are the ONLY people who criticize other black people's hair texture. It's a given. Believe me, I have over 50 years of firsthand experience with this nonsense.
First it was Gabbie’s hair, now Simone’s
It definitely IS about racism and saltiness when it comes to “international” look. The Chinese gymnasts in their heyday had just as good form and extension as say… the white American and Russian gymnasts.
But if you ever watched the 2008 NBC commentary you’d think they were all grossly over scored (and the Americans underscored) because the NBC commentators were so salty.
Then with Morgan, they would talk incessantly about how she was adopted from China and how China must regret that happening because a gymnast with such power is unprecedented… As if Cheng Fei (who was a stronger vaulter and floor athlete than their American sweethearts of the time) had never existed lol. Ironically Cheng Fei (who I bet they would actually kill to have another of) was run off the team and her comeback because she *didn’t* have the “international look” body type.
Gabby Douglas herself also fit the “international” look in terms of body type. She was and is very slender with proportionately long limbs.
I remember watching Dawes as a kid, shes the reason I became a fan of the sport. Its crazy looking at the clips of her now because I remember so much discussion about her body being bigger than other gymnast and how hard she had it. I love seeing the diversity of the sport today and the Brazilian team winning silver this year.
To me, we should implement everywhere the system we have in Poland - the government gives donations to sports clubs, making sports accessible - for example horse riding lessons can cost the equivalent of 10 USD per class - same is with any other sport. Swimming? 20 USD per month - classes are twice- three times a week - depends on the level. Freestyle snowboarding and freestyle skiing? Not a problem - 200 - 250 USD per entire year - training camps are partially funded as well, so athletes and aspiring athletes instead of spending 2000 USD plus, spend smh like 500, and that includes a skipass - and we’re talking training camps in the summer on the glacier in France
😂😂😂😂😂 too communistic for the USA .
What is more artistic and beautiful than pushing the bounds of what people think is possible? What stronger emotions are evoked from sport than witnessing a person push their body to the limit, showing the passion and dedication that they have held for years and decades to attempt to reach mastery within their discipline?
Did you forget Daiane dos Santos?
Queen you're a Godsend!.... I just subscribed and told my 13yo daughter to subscribe because you're the exact role model that a young Black girl needs and should support! 👑💜🙏🏾
if gymnastics is a sport and they are athletes, then they should be more focused on athleticism. now if they're going to be on stage performing like ballerinas then okay I get why you would focus more on artistry but that's not the case.
AMEN! The thing is, Men's gymnastics is ALSO called ARTISTIC gymnastics but NO ONE gripes about the lack of that in men's routines which tells me this is about the fact that black women, Simone in particular has not only fully entered the fray of gymnastics but is DOMINATING the field.
Exactly. It's literally called GYM nastics. I have never witnessed any ballerina like exercising in a gym unless it's stretching!!!
these "lines" usually mean 3 apps: beam and bars, but on floor you cannot dance your way into a gold medal...won't happen...the lines are striking but they usually are weak tumblers, shortfalls, and legs shattered
Even back when I was initially exposed to the sport of gymnastics in May of 2003, I was somewhat unaware of the discrepancy between different skills being viewed as artistic or mechanical. Though I frequently contest it as being one of my favorite "semi-team" sports, there is still a large chunk of material and skills I never learned during that time. Much of what I know about it today I've only learned within the last few years, though I also wasn't sure if you were familiar with another gymnast from India known as "Dipa Karmakar". I myself didn't know the name until she competed during the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Her most recent competition where she meddled was actually just over three weeks ago when she won gold in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Which also served as a qualifier for Paris next month.
Just a note, the backflip in figure skating was not banned because it was done by a black woman, the backflip was banned after it was first performed which was by white man. Surya Bonaly knew she would get a deduction if she chose to do the illegal skill and did it anyway.
You made the breakdown of the technical elements in routines seem really effortless! It was super accessible and enjoyable, especially with how seamlessly you combined it with a breakdown of the rhetoric surrounding each gymnast. Love your work!
I think the change is a great example of why representation matters. When you can see yourself in the athletes, your dreams feel more achievable. Dianne Durham, Betty Okino, and Dominique Dawes were some of the most talented American gymnasts of their times.
I know im late bc this video only found me a month later, but as a brazillian, Brazil's women gymnastics were also greatly influenced by a black gymnast: Daiane dos Santos! And now, a month after this video was posted, we have Rebeca Andrade winning gold with her floor routine in the Olympics :) 💗
this video is so well researched, amazing job as usual
Even ballet has become highly physical, with many of the top ballet dancers now being Black. I’ve been watching the Olympics since Atlanta 1996, starting as a 7-year-old mixed-race Australian girl. I also experienced being pushed out of gymnastics by my coaches without clear reasons. My mother was told that I wasn't ready to be part of the junior development squad, despite being highly graceful and very technically talented (more so than my peers), and very well behaved. I now know I couldn't have been a gymnast as I'm 5'7". At that time, coaches would ask if my dad was a basketball player, which felt like a clear indication of racial bias. Of all the occupations on the planet, why a basketball player?? Racism was rampant in gymnastics, and breaking through those barriers was essential. Watching Simone Biles and Gabby Douglas, I’m awed by the complexity of their routines. Who cares about their body type or hair. They're defying gravity on a whole new level. Great video-thank you!
Great Video and have been wanting someone to address this amazing historical and “about time” movement in women’s gymnastics! GREAT JOB!!! Thank you!
I love the black gymnasts, there were a few all black podiums these past couple of years. Usa gymnastics championships 2022, world championships 2023 and don't forget the individual apparatus competitions. A lot of mixed race podiums and all black too. It's a pleasure to see this!
I love Simone and Skye. Paris 2024
And shilese 🖤
😭😭😭
@@Floatie114 I’m unwell 🤧
i think what i love now is gymnastics’ reputation (especially for the women’s side) has become so much more athletic rather than, oh it’s just ‘pretty thin girls twirling’.
like, no. these women train just as hard as any other sport, they put their bodies and livelihood on the line every time their feet leave the ground and i’m so glad it’s getting proper recognition and on average, i love that the sport is slowly edging up in age and there’s been a real push on the girls not starving themselves and proper nutrition as athletes should.
i think that’s why i felt more at home in cheer rather than gymnastics. i was usually one of the older kids, had bigger thighs, hips and arms because i also did a lot of swimming and dance (looking back, i was tiny, just bigger than the other girls) and it was too technical for me so at a certain point i wasn’t having fun but i had all these skills i still enjoyed, just not in that setting.
cut to cheer, i’m one of the youngest, get to be a flyer, have friends / neighbours in the team and it’s a good mix of those skills i’d gotten in gymnastics but other things to break it up (now that i’m older, it was probably my undiagnosed adhd that just hated the repetition in my gymnastics class and because my class was so far from where i lived i was pretty lonely)
Gymnastics is a diverse sport, and I love it. That is how it should be.
I want the best gymnasts on Olympic and world U.S:A teams.
I think the system should allow for both body types. I enjoy both athletic and tall and graceful. I think black gymnast can be both athletic muscular and graceful and artistic. I appreciate both athletic muscular and taller more elegant and graceful
It's diverse *Now.
Nice overview. I love gymnastics these days. Watching Liukin and Comaneci is painful, because of the anorexia. Good mention of the financial aspect. It's an expensive sport. Every time I hear people complain about a lack of dance, I say go watch ballet. I'd be happy if the women's floor routines were like the men's - no music, just skills.
We can put it on the black jobs list.
No. It's not becoming a "black sport." Black people simply have more equality and opportunity nowadays than they use to, and gymnastics is a sport, open to all races.
this is a PERFECT video. i did gymnastics growing up and i follow the sport very closely (im even going to the olympic trials for gymnastics next week!) well done on your research-i am so happy to see such diversity on team USA and i cannot wait to see who makes the team ❤
I love Gymnastics and to see so many talented young Black Women achieve goals.❤❤ Excellent analysis.
It's funny because I bet the majority of the comments regarding Gabbys hair/edges being too messy came from other black folks.... that's always been in a thing in the community is tearing each other down over their hair...
Nonetheless it will be exciting to see so many melanin and diverse girlies on the team this year!! 🙌
just a few weeks ago, the backflip in figure skating was legalised - after men popularised it this season 🤨 justice for Surya
Im excited to see who is selected for the women's gymnastics team
Caitlin Clark 😂😂😂
@@benjamin_6945😂😂😂
Simone and Shilese 100% then probably Suni, Skye and either Kayla or Jade. Jade’s inclusion is going to depend on whether or not she can upgrade her difficulty.
@@piratesswoop725I wholeheartedly agree with your picks. Looking forward to Trials!
Rebeca andrade is now Brazil's biggest olympian athlete. She is literally the queen of sports here. And in the gymnastics world, only Simone have more medals than her .
1. Simone , 2 .mustafina ( Who retired) and 3.rebeca
Ok my final thought (lol): Some sports favor certain body types. There are lean, muscular, tall, short, etc. That's why we rarely see Asians in track and field events, and why Michael Phelps was perfect for swimming. If a sport highlights a certain body type, is that okay?
Gabby Douglas has that body type and she still faced the discrimination of the other black girls who didn't. It's much deeper than just not fitting the body profile...
@@doll.ov.poetrii4682 I believe you’re right that it goes deeper, sadly. I wonder who Gabby got comments about her hair in 2012. Whites, blacks or a mix of people.
@@tiffanybrown1001 It was mostly black people since we're the ones who noticed it more.
@@tiffanybrown1001 Gabrielle drew black criticism from her hair. The body issues were envious jealous white because she was extremely gifted and isolated, being the only black.
Your voice is so soothing! Do audio book as well pls
Gymnastics is not becoming a "black" sport, it's becoming a more fair sport, where teams are not determined based on the color of their skin, but on the based on the quality of their performance. As it should be. Is it fair that they have to work twice as hard to make that team? No, but at least they make it.
Firstly thank you for this video and for explaining more of the history!
I’m not black, I’m not even american. But I am SO excited to see Simone Biles at the olympics again! My sister and I admire her so much 😍🤩 I’m never such a fangirl about anyone but I honestly feel lucky to live at the same time as her!!! She has incredible physical and mental strength, she’s so kind and caring, she’s an advocate and example of self care, she’s creative with her routines. I used to teach an instrument and I think she has great musicality 💖 Also she has to restrain herself to do even the most difficult moves, like will there be moves powerful enough for her?? And she jumps so high even though she’s tiny! I’m her age and most of us are talking about how we’re falling apart as if we’re 100 😭 She’s going back to the olympics for gymnastics??? She seems better than ever, her composure definitely makes me feel that way but I’m no expert. I am so so so impressed by her and since I’m not a gymnast I’m probably less than half as impressed as I should be
I just hope it won’t continue to come at such a cost, it’s hard for any women/girls in sport but adding racism too… 💔 Also tbh from a musician’s perspective I don’t see how there’s less artistry. There’s variety in music and dance styles incorporated into the floor routines, which to a non-gymnast is where the artistry is most evident. And doesn’t the increase in cultural diversity inherently lead to an increase in artistry?? How can artistry have such a narrow definition? It seems contradictory to the idea itself
I watch that backflip at least once a year. I don’t think I can comprehend it ❄️
Black people were the ones targeting gabby! Very sick how we tear down our own
EXACTLY!!
it is indeed. Women are out here losing their edges over this ish.
I remember the black originals. They were underscored. Stella Umeh was a great Canadian gymnast. Dianne Durham was also underscored. Misty Copeland cracked ballet. Surya Bonaly felt the racism in skating. It is the process. First we are denied. Now, racism is challenged, before it was popular.
Great analysis, hope to see more of these in depth video essays from you in other areas - good stuff. Agree, there is more diversity in women’s gymnastics. What I find more interesting is the movement towards more athletic moves and routines in the women’s division. This will be more acceptable as we see more women capable of these routines. Biles of course is a big part of that, showing what is possible. We see this type of change in other sports which reframe the view of what is possible in women’s sports. Gymnastics definitely went through that transition from dominantly an artistic and subjective form to today which is moving towards a more objective athletic one. I welcome the move but do agree there are areas in sports where artistic quality can be an important component, but do see the difficult task when trying to quantify artistry.
Olga was in Time magazine. I fell in love. Nadia was my heroine. We followed gymnastics intensely. All girls wore ribbons in those days!😂
Interesting that Mary Lou Retton was not mentioned, but she dominated with not much of an artistic bone in her powerhouse body. No one complained much.🤔 😂That was decades ago.
I was waiting for her to be referenced too. Missed opportunity.
It’s funny how race only becomes an issue when blacks start dominating in something. No one is saying that even about swimming- calling it unfair. But if blacks start getting into swimming and dominating, you better believe race will suddenly be an issue there too. Anyway, really good account of the history. Good job 👏🏽
No. Gymnastics is not a black sport. Gymnastics is a sport that has some athletes who are black.
I’m about to go down a gymnastics loop hole. Never thought about this and glad you’re talking about this!
That mic is huge, or maybe you’re small. Perhaps both 🤔
Bro what.
Thats what she said
I read this comment first, and then she appeared on screen and, I have to say, you're right 😂🤣😂🤣
@@louis-marieokolo41same lol I think she must be very small