Does the public have the right to criticize an Olympian’s weight?
Seems to me that the obvious answer is "no," but I thought I'd throw it out there for discussion:
www.theglobeandmail.com/.../
not very useful to point it out now. If she doesn't swim well, I think it is a valid critique to be made after the fact.
But, hey, she made the team so she certainly deserves to be there!
OK, she's slower than she was 4 years ago. She can probably still beat US to the wall. She's 27/28 years old, making her 4th Olympic team - I think women have a harder time with their weight than men do. Not that there aren't some heiffers with xy chromosomes in sports as well, but for some reason, they are seemingly more emotionally resilient about it. I'm sure she is well aware of her weight, well aware of her times & her medal chances. Perhaps instead of criticizing her for something she obviously is having a problem with, we should focus on the positive?
She can probably still beat US to the wall.
Bear in mind, just because someone is one of the best in the world doesn't make them immune from critiques. She receives sponsorship money, so she is held accountable for her performance.
It's no different than when I attend a NFL game and comment on a player's abilities. It doesn't matter whether or not I can play professional football...I'm paying for a product and if it doesn't live up to my expectation, I have every right to voice my concern.
It's a little different here because competitors aren't paid through tv deals and such, but I don't agree with the concept that you can't criticize someone just because they are better/faster. After all, none of the coaches are faster than their swimmers and they critique them all the time!
Bear in mind, just because someone is one of the best in the world doesn't make them immune from critiques. She receives sponsorship money, so she is held accountable for her performance.
It's no different than when I attend a NFL game and comment on a player's abilities. It doesn't matter whether or not I can play professional football...I'm paying for a product and if it doesn't live up to my expectation, I have every right to voice my concern.
It's a little different here because competitors aren't paid through tv deals and such, but I don't agree with the concept that you can't criticize someone just because they are better/faster. After all, none of the coaches are faster than their swimmers and they critique them all the time!
But it's not her performance that is being criticized, or even the amount of training that she's done. It's how she looks. Remember, that is all that is anyone is going on: photos.
And the idea that a woman's looks are a product that you pay for is, well, a little nauseating. I realize that such things happen all the time, but I would not have thought it to be true of Olympic athletes.
But it's not her performance that is being criticized, or even the amount of training that she's done. It's how she looks.
Sort of, but she looks out of shape, and that's what people are criticizing. There's an assumption--and it could be wrong--that if you look out of shape then you haven't been training very hard.
One of my favorite sayings about Masters swimming (that I made up) is that there's always a fat guy ten years older than you who will blow you out of the water. When that 43-year-old fat guy drops a 49 in a 100 free, and I come in with a 52, I don't suggest that he lose weight.
It's normal (but rude and shallow and ignorant) for Joe NBC Viewer to expect all of the athletes to be Adonis-like (or whatever the female equivalent of Adonis is called) and to complain when they don't meet his standards. As Masters swimmers, all of whom have been beaten by that supposedly out-of-shape guy or gal, we should know better.
I think we can all refrain from giving smug advice until we're faster than she is.
is faster than she is? Apparently no women at USMS Nationals this year, and only four men, assuming I can count and compare numbers properly. Her best time this year would have placed sixth at the US Olympic Trials. So, basically, almost nobody is faster than she is. If she's doing something wrong, the rest of us are doing a lot more of it.]
Lol! Read John Feinstein's new Olympic swimmer book "Mystery At The Olympics, Rush For The Gold" The story is about this unfair attention and sponsorships given to extremely great looking athletes. The book is about 4th-5th grade reading level so you can get through it quickly. It was a little hoky but I enjoyed it and am adding it to my injured student's library.
I think it's in poor taste to publicly discuss an athlete or any public figures weight issues. If Leisel asks for our opinion it would be okay to give it, otherwise it's not up for discussion. I assume Leisel has been sent to London to swim as fast as she can, not be a swimsuit model.
Sort of, but she looks out of shape, and that's what people are criticizing. There's an assumption--and it could be wrong--that if you look out of shape then you haven't been training very hard.
Yeah? You look at the comments on some of these news sites, and people are cluck-clucking about the cellulite on her thighs. I mean really.
Given the cultural problem of poor body image among girls and the high incidence of eating disorders among female athletes a comment about a female Olympian being fat is,in my mind,more egregious than a typical criticism.
