Gwen Berry, U.S. Olympic Hammer Thrower says that her inflamatory story on The Players Tribune blog should cause concern among white people. In truth, it ought to make her ashamed – for hating her country, for perpetuating the myth of rampant white supremacy in America, for accusing white cops of targeting her son and for more.
Berry is a hateful person who has shown hatred towards her country since the Pan American Games 2019, where she raised her hands in protest at her nation’s victory. During this year’s U.S. Olympic trials, she covered her face with a shirt and turned her back on the American flag during the playing of the national anthem.
In The Players Tribune blog, Berry unloaded heaps of vitriol on the USA.
Winning a gold medal at the Pan American Games was the highlight of Berry’s career, but she admits she was not filled with pride as she represented her country. Berry wrote “The Star Spangled Banner”:
This song doesn’t speak for me. This anthem doesn’t represent me. It’s hypocritical.
I resolved to live up to my own self-worth. I wasn’t going to respect something that disrespects people who look like me.
Berry accused the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee of enforcing a rule “that had silenced athletes for years.” She was being punished for speaking up about something that has been swept under the rug for a long time, and she lost financial support left and right. Berry almost quit track and field.
After George Floyd was killed, “white America woke up” and people stopped ignoring police brutality, Berry wrote. Her platform became her tool to help athletes like herself not be punished. It was her defiant voice that would make an impact.
That all vanished at this year’s Olympic trials. After finishing third, she was informed that the national anthem wouldn’t be performed while athletes were standing on victory stands. She felt betrayed, as the Star-Spangled Banner was being played while she was standing on that podium.You can read more:
I can’t lie, I definitely felt targeted. What could I do? They changed their rule to allow protests in Tokyo because of what happened back in 2019. It felt weird, and it hurt me …
Berry made an excuse, saying that “because of the way the cameras were positioned, it looks like I’m intentionally turning my back on the flag.” She also placed her t-shirt over her head to remind everyone of the anti-Americanism she stands for.
The nation was in a state of panic. “It was almost like 2019 over and again,” she said. “Conservative media was running all these stories like, GWEN BERRY TURNS BACK TO U.S. FLAG DUE TO NATIONAL ANATHEM AT OLYMPIC TRIALS. One story called me the ‘flag-snubbing U.S. Olympian.’” Cong. Dan Crenshaw asked for Berry’s dismissal from U.S. Olympic teams. Berry’s social media accounts were “flooded” with support from teammates and with “attacks from the ignorant.” She got a lot of negative attacks from trolls after Sen. Ted Cruz criticized her, too.
Berry is a black mom who believes her son doesn’t deserve to be viewed as a person worthy of happiness and success in the world. He’s at risk of “being beaten, abused or even murdered by a system of white supremacy.” Black lives are often targeted. My country has repeatedly shown me that it does not care about my son. Berry lamented, “And it doesn’t give damn about me.” Berry railed, “This is shit personal.”
Berry’s troubling personal narrative is one of bitterness and hatred toward her country, one that gave her the opportunity to compete on its national teams. She’s responsible for her actions, but her story also raises an important issue concerning the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee. This cannot instill national pride when Olympic trials allow open protest, and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee bears some responsibility for athletes who bring shame to America.
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