Y’all know that I love the Olympics – I have been waiting for months to watch the games, and relive my time in London! They should be a time of triumph of the human spirit.
However, last night’s coverage was heartbreaking. Jordyn Wieber, the reigning gymnastic All-Around world champion and Team USA’s brightest star, narrowly missed qualifying for the individual All-Around finals due to a new rule that only allows each team to put through two girls at most. So despite the fact that she finished fourth overall and should clearly be in the top 24, Wieber will not advance along with her two higher-scoring teammates. Devastated and stunned, she burst into tears.
The next few minutes were a total debacle. Rather than face the press, Wieber tried to quietly walk backstage. Olympic officials told her she couldn’t. NBC then chose to interview Aly Raisman, the teammate who knocked Wieber out of eligibility in a shocking turn of events, with Jordyn standing in the background, still crying…and clearly visible on national television. They then interviewed Jordyn herself, after giving her a scant few minutes to compose herself.
In this day of modern technology, nothing is off limits. NBC knew that the public would be equally shocked by the results and would want to hear from Wieber herself. But did they have to blatantly show her sobbing, shot after shot, for a good ten minutes? Do athletes not count as people too? Or children? After all, Wieber only just turned seventeen. Despite her prowess as an Olympian and as a gymnast, do her feelings not matter?
I guess the real question should be – are athletes celebrities? When a celebrity goes through a public divorce, or a messy breakup, or a stint in rehab, we want to know every gory detail. And we feel that we have the right to know, since these people willingly live their lives in the public eye. But should athletes fall into that category too? Does their love of their sport qualify them for public ridicule and scrutiny?
I’m not sure on the matter. By choosing to pursue world-class athletics, you are aware of the public intrigue that comes along with it. But I still think your rights as a human, to grieve in private and without scrutiny, should matter. I feel that NBC handled this situation poorly, placing more importance on their ratings than on the emotions of a seventeen-year-old girl. My hope is that from here on out, the Olympics will be an uplifting event and not a negative one!
What do you think – do athletes count as celebrities? Have they sacrificed their right to privacy?
I think more than thinking of Jordyn Wieber as a person, and not a celebrity, we have to remember she’s also a child. I think it was pretty awful to leave her on camera crying – though I get why NBC did it. It’s just such a sad situation for her.
I agree. I understand that they’re trying to make good tv ratings, but did we really need to see it fifty times? Come on now
Ditto to what Carly said– unfortunately, I think she falls under the category of being a celebrity, just like Michael Jordan, Tim Tebow, and Kobe Bryant. However, she is just a little girl…media needs to remember that. Poor gal
I agree, I think she is a celeb – I just think that even celebs should get some courtesy from the media!
Unfortunately, athletes such as Olympians and professional athletes (basketball, Ironman, whatever) are “celebrities”. It is hard since a lot of the gymnasts, swimmers and, yes, even table tennis players are teenagers. I don’t think I would have been able to compose myself either at that age!
The media preys on that kind of stuff, but they should have given her a little decency and waited until later to interview her, especially since she is younger!
So true. I guess that is one of the downfalls of the Olympics, amateur athletes tend to be younger and less experienced – I know that I would have been equally upset at age 17!
I felt so bad for her. She is a ‘celebrity’ I suppose but she is still young and doesn’t deserve her crying face to be broadcast for the whole world to see. They should’ve respected her privacy but that is just not what the media does. She will always be an amazing gymnast to me and she should be proud that she made it THAT far! But then again, if I were in her shoes, I too would be devastated. I just want to give her a big hug!
I agree! I kept looking around, hoping they’d let her go see her mom
Okay – this is exactly the same thing that happened to Kim Zemeskal in the 92 Olympics when she was booted due to the 2 gymnast per country rule. Kim was 16 and amazingly kept herself composed after falling off the beam and watched as everyone else got to go to the podium for the annoucement. They kept showing Kim smiling like a kid ready to burst into tears (after all she was a kid) and waving half heartedly to avoid having to interview. These are kids. They peak at the time their bnodies want to – not when we want to. They need to give her some space so she can grieve for her loss and worry about getting ready for the team event. Nastia Liukin was able to almost cry and then wave and get on with her life like a champ. Let Jordan wave and move on and spare her the stupid questions we all the know the asnwer to – she is sad, she is mad, and she can’t do anything about it now. We all know this story. My heart breaks for her like no other as I have been in this position before. It sucks and no one else needs to tell us that.
Sorry for the rant….she is a kid and needs love and support, not questions and criticism.
Amen sister – couldn’t have said it better myself!
She signed up to compete, not share her whole life with the world. She didn’t sign up to be treated like a zoo animal. Of course we want to hear from her, but once she is able to process. NOW isn’t required.
Agreed – later would have been more appropriate!