‘All black podium’

[BWPodium]

In Simone Bile’s interview she said ‘it’s an all black podium for the first time, which is super exciting’

Whats your thoughts on this? Is it ok / positive thing to say? Unneeded? etc

I understand this is a first for woman’s gymnastics and a few years ago the sport was built around what looked like under fed teenagers so brilliant for the sport that it’s opened up to other body types and therefore makes a positive however, what about sports like 100m sprint that has traditionally always been tall African builds, if by any miracle three white men were on the podium, would saying this be acceptable?

I was saying the same thing

when I was growing up all the athletes were like children, as soon as they hit puberty and developed breasts and hips etc they vanished from the sport. All the athletes were white, mostly soviet bloc countries

the diversity and longevity of female gymnasts now is glorious and immensely positive

I can imagine girls of any ethnicity seeing themselves represented in the sport and recognising the opportunity to participate themselves

The barriers in place for white men aren't the same as for black men and women though. To achieve at that level you need talent, but talent alone is usually insufficient. You need support, funding, training, facilities etc. All athletes will have those needs, but in addition to that some athletes will face barriers- usually in the form of discrimination, racial, sex, social, economic.

When did we all become so nit picky about what people said 🙄. I mean - really?

People need to find better things to do ..

@BWPodium of course there have been all white podiums in the mens and womens 100m, historically, in the early part of the 20th century.

Imagine an all black podium in dressage. Or fencing. Or rowing. Or sailing.Or any of the really expensive sports. Maybe that would mean we had approached equality. Don't hold your breath!

In a not dissimilar way, we might note athletes from disadvantaged backgrounds who make it into typically "wealthy" sports such as rowing, skiing or showjumping. Sports that traditionally require a ,lot of parental financial input in the early days. If someone from a significantly disadvantaged background was able to succeed there due to early promise, being spotted by a sponsor, or working pt from age 15 or whatever it would be similarly noteworthy. Its about overcoming barriers.

So as a brown woman, I can tell you brown women also face systematic challenges in sport.
Money above all
Societal prejudice
Family responsibilities for women
Pressure to take a safe job like medicine or engineering because no benefits or safety net
Body type
Questions about whether you are a good immigrant if in the UK ( like Saka and Rashford have faced)

Race is not equal. With my funny foreign name I will never be treated in the workplace like Jane Smith. Fine, I have made my peace and found ways to use my strengths. But please don't tell me everyone should be treated equally and race doesn't matter. That's a very naive world view.

Also, @BWPodium , discussion really does need to be sport-specific, as their history and structure can vary so massively.

The comment was made by Simone Biles in relation to gymnastics though. All of that context is important and formed the basis of her comment.

Commenting on an all black 100m podium would be a bit weird as it's the norm.

Commenting on an all white 100m podium would depend on the comment - could be vile, could be amusing depending on its nature.

Commenting on an all Asian 100m podium would be fine as it's not the norm.

This was the first all black podium in women's gymnastics, I don't think it's strange to comment on that/

OP, you were questioning the "acceptablity" of Simone's comment. Most of us are agreeing that it's a positive, contextually.
Oh look, an all white rowing podium! It's hardly surprising, exceptional or noteworthy.

There are very few African medalists ever in mens 100, 200 or 400 m . The medalists are from the US, western Europe and west indies mostly. There's clearly a genetic advantage otherwise it would be white Americans winning just as much as black.

There is more genetic variation in black people than in the rest of humanity put together. There are some genetic advantages for particular black groups in certain sports - it's not the same groups winning the sprints as the long distance for example.

The money thing explains why certain countries only enter a few sports. It doesn't explain why certain countries with less investment still do well despite that disadvantage.

Why do white people (and I am one myself), get antsy about stuff like this?

I’m an F1 fan myself .. and the amount of racist bile that Lewis Hamilton gets, for trying to highlight the racial inequalities throughout the F1 Industry, is awful.

Black people have been disempowered, abused, and held back for centuries, of course we should all celebrate when ceilings are broken.

I am white and I am so happy that some posters have understood what Simone Biles was saying
She wasn’t being anti white , she was simply celebrating the fact that the sport is diversifying
There are similar parallels to Serena and Venus Williams who did not come from a wealthy background but managed to achieve great things in the world of tennis which was a sport heavily dominated by those from ‘middle class ‘ backgrounds

As an aside, I found it interesting that Simone Biles speaks with a therapist regularly.
She has suffered from depression and took a few years out to find herself. She returned to the sport as a champion
Her resilience is admirable .
.

CurlewKate · Today 09:48
Imagine an all black podium in dressage. Or fencing. Or rowing. Or sailing.Or any of the really expensive sports. Maybe that would mean we had approached equality. Don't hold your breath!

Formula 1 first sprang to mind for me, when Lewis Hamilton retires that will be it for goodness knows how many years.

What about the men's 100m?
Has there every been a white gold medalist?
Every single runner this year in the final was black.

Same as the he long distance runners- usually always a Kenyan or Ethiopian.

Would it be acceptable to say 'Oh look, all the men's 100m medalists are white. Hurrah!'

Just as a general rule OP, if you’re judging the behaviour of black people by asking yourself ‘would this be ok if a white person did it’ then generally you’re going to reach some completely nonsensical conclusions.

You can’t ignore hundreds of years of history in which black people have been the victims of racism, discrimination and prejudice (all of which are ongoing today) and assume that the exact same rules apply to them as apply to white people, who have been and remain the perpetrators of those abuses.

Black people are absolutely entitled to express pride in having overcome barriers imposed upon them by racism and achieved incredible accolades. They’re entitled to acknowledge the impact race has had on their journey to success.

For white people, who haven’t faced barriers as a result of their race, what is the point of acknowledging race on the podium? It’s clearly not the same situation.

Got to love whataboutery

But if anyone said great, a white man has won the gold, silver and bronze in the 100mtrs, would that be allowed?

Would it be acceptable to say " Hooray the US president is an old white man?' Or do you think if Kamala wins, the fact that she is Indian and black and a woman would be commented on?

I thought the podium was what they stood on, not the people standing on it.

It's both.

Please go back and read some of the excellent posts on this thread explaining why it would not be the same thing

I caught the end of the event with the floor work and medals being awarded. It was lovely to witness the cameraderie of all the women on the podium, and the respect they gave each other- Olympic spirit at its best.

It's a breakthough in the sport, in both in representation and stylistically. I appreciated the routines of the older, stronger gymnasts more. The event was more interesting to watch for being more varied.

Clearly professional men's gymnastics is a thing, but my sons hadn't watched much of it and as young children only really cared about who was in their (council run) gymnastics class, and by 7 they ceased to enjoy it when they were the only boys left in their class and they moved on to karate. Not feeling represented is a huge barrier to participation and retention, and until this generation of gymnasts, black women haven't had the representation at a professional level. Within the sport the chances of recognition and progression towards elite levels has improved with a podium of a black Brazilian gold and black USA silver and bronze, and this outcome is very positive for long term development of diversity and progression within gymnastics.

Black athletes in the US, and other comparable nations, do not have equal financial advantage to excel in sports either – it's a problem that is only kicked down the road. Simply coming from the US does not award people equal footing in being able to train in sports, let alone to get to competition level. And yet again, they will be largely limited to low-budget sports, such as track. Genetic advantage is a small portion of the full picture.

I find it a little sad that she feels a need to say it when the sport has become so much more diverse, it's almost harking back to the bad old days when it was really difficult for non-white athletes to have any impact in many sports.

I am delighted to see some countries getting their first medals, can't remember them all, but I think Virgin Islands, Philippines, Guatemala, Saint Lucia... and even just qualifying to compete.