• About
  • Editorial Board
  • Advertise
  • Join Us
  • Archives
The Wellesley News -
  • News and Features
    • Students Remember the Legacy of Ruth Bader Ginsberg
      Students Remember the Legacy of Ruth Bader Ginsberg
    • First-Year Students Reflect on Their Expectations for College, One Semester In
      First-Year Students Reflect on Their Expectations for College, One Semester In
    • “We Want to Fundamentally Change the Culture,” International Student Union says
      “We Want to Fundamentally Change the Culture,” International Student Union says
    • News
      • News in Brief
      • Nation & World
      • President’s Corner
      • Senate Report
    • Features
      • Alumnae Spotlight
      • Eye on Science
      • Faculty Focus
      • LGBTQIA+ Column
  • Opinions
    • No image
      You have no valid reasons to oppose raising the minimum wage
    • No image
      Free the pee: cut the hygiene theater and let us use other bathrooms
    • Wellesley, why can’t you meet our dietary needs?
      Wellesley, why can’t you meet our dietary needs?
    • Staff Editorial
    • Letters to the Editor
    • The Elephant in the Room
  • Arts
    • “Judas and the Black Messiah” subverts, soars as Civil Rights story
      “Judas and the Black Messiah” subverts, soars as Civil Rights story
    • Black Entertainment Without Black Trauma: Recommendations for BHM!
      Black Entertainment Without Black Trauma: Recommendations for BHM!
    • Queer Storylines in “The Prom” Fall Flat
      Queer Storylines in “The Prom” Fall Flat
    • Arts In The News
    • Reviews
    • Music Peek
  • Health and Wellness
    • COVID-19: Popping the Wellesley Bubble
      COVID-19: Popping the Wellesley Bubble
    • No image
      Athletic impacts of Covid-19
    • No image
      A new kind of PE
    • Athlete of the Week
    • Boston Sports Update
    • The Vegan Digest
    • The SHE Corner
  • Miscellanea
    • No image
      Remote students experience existential crises; change class years in email signatures
    • President’s Column: The Butterfly Effect
      President’s Column: The Butterfly Effect
    • Your next on-campus romance isn’t going to work out
      Your next on-campus romance isn’t going to work out
    • The Artichoke
    • The Dose
    • The Olive Branch
    • Multimedia
      • Galleries
      • Infographics
      • Videos
By Toshali Goel Sports and WellnessOctober 24, 2019

Photo Courtesy of Matthias Schrader / AP Photo

Simone Biles has recently become the most decorated gymnast in world championship history, bar none. Her gold medals in the balance beam and floor exercises tipped her career medal count to 25, shattering Vitaly Scherbo’s record of 23 medals set between 1991 and 1996 while representing the Soviet Union. Biles has been in the limelight since her 2013 domination of the world championships, and quickly became a household name following her historic performance at the 2016 Olympic Games. Her victory was especially spectacular given that female gymnasts only compete in six world championship events, compared to the eight of their male counterparts. 

Despite her resounding success and undeniable talent, Biles is still subject to the criticisms that are unfortunately too prevalent towards female athletes. Many took to the Internet to denounce her attitude towards her wins as “cocky.” Biles went on record to combat her critics, saying “I’ve won five World titles and if I say, ‘I’m the best gymnast there is,’ [the reaction is] ‘Oh, she’s cocky. Look at her now.’ No, the facts are literally on paper.” Biles went further to comment on how important embracing success is for young women, saying, “You only see the men doing it. And they’re praised for it and the women are looked down upon for it. But I feel like it’s good [to do] because once you realize you’re confident and good at it, then you’re even better at what you do.”

Biles is not new to being condemned for supposed arrogance. Earlier this year, she caught heat for wearing a leotard with ‘BILES’ printed on the back to the qualifying meet for the U.S. gymnastics championships. According to USA Today, the original plan was for the entire team to sport their names before they realized that one gymnast’s name was too long, leaving only Biles and her teammate, Jordan Chiles, to wear the personalized leotards. Biles, taking the opportunity to poke fun back at her critics, wore a personalized leotard to the next meet as well, this time accompanied by a picture of a goat – alluding to the acronym G.O.A.T., meaning “greatest of all time.” 

She spoke about her decision at the time, saying “You’ll go your whole entire career and everybody will tell you you’re great. But the minute … you say you’re good, (people are) like, ‘Oh my gosh, you’re so cocky!” This rings especially true for a majority of professional female athletes. The U.S. women’s national soccer team faced similar criticism after the 2019 World Cup, in which they defeated Thailand with a record-breaking 13-0 score. Commentators and viewers alike were quick to denounce them for running the score up to such a large gap, as well as for celebrating “too much” after each goal. “After it’s 6-0 you stop doing choreographed dances and such,” said one Twitter user. Men’s teams have yet to face similar criticism for large victories or zealous celebration – in fact, the NFL Honors ceremony even includes a category for “Celebration of the Year.”

This everyday sexism runs so deep in professional sports that it is often swept under the rug, or accepted as part of the game. Serena Williams, internationally-lauded tennis superstar, faced a multi-thousand dollar fine for alleged illegal coaching and verbal abuse against a referee, whom she called a “thief.” In a press conference following the match, she said, “I’ve seen other men call other umpires several things . . . For me to say ‘thief’ and for him to take a game? It made me feel like it was a sexist remark. He’s never took a game from a man ’cause they [said] ‘thief.’” 

Despite the never-ending stream of indisputably gifted, hard-working women that the professional sports industry sees, far too many still see the arena as a man’s field. Female athletes – and especially those of color – can etch their names onto the walls of history and yet still be subject to the seemingly unshakable casual sexism and racism that is ingrained in our society. We have taught women that embracing their athletic talent is criminal. We equate their pride with arrogance, and their joy with overzealousness. Simone Biles is currently the greatest gymnast – no two questions about it – and she has every right to be proud of that fact. It is high time society stops punishing women for succeeding in a world where the odds are almost always stacked against them. 

Share on

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Google +
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
Previous articleCrew places second at Head of the Charles
Next articleAthletics Update

You may also like

COVID-19: Popping the Wellesley Bubble

Athletic impacts of Covid-19

A new kind of PE

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Email Newsletter

Sign up to receive our weekly digest in your inbox

* indicates required

Top Articles

  • Harry Styles de-typifies masculinity in Vogue’s December Iss...
  • Free the pee: cut the hygiene theater and let us use other b...
  • COVID-19: Popping the Wellesley Bubble
  • Queer Storylines in “The Prom” Fall Flat
  • Black Entertainment Without Black Trauma: Recommendations fo...

Recent Tweets

Tweets by @Wellesley_News

The independent student newspaper of Wellesley College since 1901.

Sign up to receive our weekly digest in your inbox

* indicates required

  • About
  • Editorial Board
  • Advertise
  • Join Us
  • Archives
COPYRIGHT © 2021 THE WELLESLEY NEWS
Back to top