Watched Athlete A last night on Netflix. I am left confound & speechless on the things that are happening behind closed doors at USA Gymnastics. Hundreds of women were manipulated, brainwashed & gaslighted into thinking that the things that are happening to them were of the norm.
I am sad that this happened to them. Women were robbed of their innocence at such a young age and they were being held by their throats of evil-concerning adults disguised by good will just so they could continue their dream. These are women who wanted to follow their dreams of competing at the Olympics, in the hopes of achieving their goals in becoming Olympians themselves. It is of my great misery to know that predators are everywhere in their environment while training. That thought itself disgusts me. How could people don't see these women as human beings but as products? It took the strength of a few athletes to raise their concern for this perpetrator to be jailed. I am loss for words for this Larry Nassar. He took away so much from these women in the hopes of not getting caught just because he was fronting a pleasant face towards them. Pure evil I might say.
I wouldn't know the mental capacity of an athlete as I am not one. They surely must have endured a lot physically and mentally, a normal person could not withstand. Tons and tons of practice hours, including image training to get them where they are now. Maggie Nichols' story is an eye-opener for athletes and future athletes to remind them of their human rights. I am especially proud of her and her senior gymnasts that spoke in the documentary film for the patience they have to live through just to get their story out and bring justice for them.
Abuse should never be tolerated. Any person that defends abuse is capable of abuse. This is not only the wrong doings of Larry Nassar but also the people who let him stay inside their camps. These kids should be provided with the right amount of nurture to be able to grow rightfully in to society. Steve Penny, former president of USA Gymnastics, Béla and Márta Károlyi, coaches of the gymnasts, and the people surrounding these women at training grounds were as equally responsible for fostering a culture of winning at all costs instead of turning a sexual abuser to the police.
May women no longer experience this kind of treachery. With all of us helping together, I truly believe that this kind of fashion from men would get called out and corrected.