Biles Quit on Teammates During Olympics, Awarded Time Athlete of the Year

The late Vince Lombardi once said, “Winners never quit, and quitters never win.” He was wrong. Quitters claim TimeHonors for magazine Athlete-of-the Year. Pouty American gymnast Simone Biles withdrew from this year’s Summer Olympics because she wasn’t doing as well as expected. TimeIn 2021, she insulted real winners by giving them their annual award.

The gymnast mopped up on gold medals in the 2016 Olympics and was expected to do likewise this year. Instead, she stressed out while claiming a silver and a bronze before throwing in the towel. She quit on her fellow athletes and the Games.

“I have to focus on my mental health. I didn’t want to go out and do something stupid and get hurt… At the end of the day, we don’t want to be carried out of there on a stretcher.”

Time recalls Biles’ stunning the world by putting on her warm-up suit, packing her bag and telling her teammates adieu, she wouldn’t be competing with them. She withdrew from her next four events, then returned to compete in one final event. Biles let Team USA down. She left Team USA scrambling for substitutes.

What did you do? Time defend this farce? By throwing cold water on Super Bowl champ Tom Brady, NBA champ Giannis Antetokounmpo, BIles teammate and 2021 Olympic women’s gymnastics all-around gold medalist Sunisa Lee, and other champions who never quit on their teammates. Time’s Alice Park and Sean Gregory wrote:

“[W]Biles’s actions transcended all the talk: She fought (mental health stigma) that has been long suppressed in athletes and shrugged of the naysayers, who mocked her choice.

“At a time when anxiety and depression rates are skyrocketing—the CDC reports a 50% rise in suicide attempts by teenage girls during the pandemic—and many people are struggling with what they owe themselves vs. what others demand of them. Biles stressed the importance of prioritizing yourself and resisting external demands. With the eyes of the world upon her, she took the extraordinary step of saying, That’s enough. I’m enough.”

Her efforts to bring mental health in sports and culture into prominence helped make her a pioneer of the field. TimesThe praises of writers are overwhelming. Because “African Americans have disproportionately been among the poor and have not been able to have health care to pay for mental-health services.”

Biles also “put her vulnerability on display” by testifying in the U.S. Senate on the sexual abuse of former team doctor Larry Nasser and the lack of institutional protection of athletes. Biles is among his numerous victims of sexual abuse.

Biles scored additional points with Colin Kaepernick, who ridiculously made the short list for Time’s 2017 Person of the Year. He cited her “grace, eloquence and courage.”

If this is how you win athlete of the Year awards, you should be lining up for quits when you reach the top of your sport. The eyes of the entire world will be on you and your team. Biles’ example of how you lost your facial awareness while throwing that pitch, throwing that pass, and taking that shot is a good way to start claiming that. Ask Kaepernick for a recommendation letter. Recount past victimhood. These blatant nonsenses are now eligible for consideration as a nominee for Athlete of the Year Honors from the bleeding hearts. Time.

The work that Biles has done away with gymnastic competitions was admirable. Not worthy of the TimeAward for Athlete-of-the Year? No. This award has no meaning outside of leftist echo chambers.