Berry, Berry Bad

 
We are quickly approaching the beginning of the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics, and as you may have noted, it’s a bit tardy.

 

Sure, it’s 2021, but something called COVID-19 reared its ugly head for well over a year, summarily cancelling and postponing many, many activities and event along the way.  These games are no exception.

 

By way of background, the first Olympic Games began in ancient Greece in the 8^th century BC.  Throughout time it evolved into a world-wide event with nearly every nation participating, as well as expanding to include winter events in a separate and distinct competition.

 

Traditionally, amateur athletes represented their countries in any number of sporting events – Summer Games include track and field; gymnastics; basketball, baseball, and other team sports; swimming, and fencing.  Winter Games consist of skiing; ice skating; figure skating; pentathlon; sledding; and team sports such as ice hockey; all of which are divided by sex.

 

After a wide gap in the cessation of the ancient Olympics, they were restarted in the modern times in 1896 in Athens, Greece; they were enthusiastically received and have been continued and modified since.

 

Tokyo earned the right to host the 2020 Olympic Games, only to have them deferred due to a world-wide pandemic.  This iteration of the modern Summer Games has been much–awaited as a way to “normalize” society after quarantine from COVID-19.

 

As of late, a smattering of news about the list of possible participating athletes has been leaking out as results of qualifying events become known.  It seems only patriotic to be proud of these athletes who will ultimately represent America, and natural to throw support behind the individuals who may become cultural icons for us and future generations, alike.

 

In grade school, I learned about a fellow named Jesse Owens.  Owens was a Black man who overcame racial animosity in the United States.  His athletic abilities enabled him to earn a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team during the buildup of Nazism in pre-WWII Germany.

 

Germany’s Chancellor, and later Führer, Adolph Hitler, was attempting to genetically create a master race of so-called Aryans, who he thought would be able to conquer the world to make it his.

 

Owens, who Hitler thought inferior because of his race, soundly defeated the German athletes to win four gold medals, infuriated Hitler, while rallying all Americans during tense times on the cusp of world chaos.

 

Fast forward to 2021 and the United States’ current list of potential Olympians.

 

Someone named Gwen Berry popped up as a third place finalist for the USA hammer throw team.  Third place, for you sports virgins, is the second loser in competition.

 

Berry, a Black woman, made her modest achievement monumental by standing on the medal podium with the number one and two place finishers.  The odd thing was that Berry turned her back to the American flag while on that podium.

 

Later, when asked about this act of disrespect toward the flag, Berry claimed she knew nothing about the time of the playing of the National Anthem – something that is played at times specified weeks in advance.  Alas, she lied.

 

Because the National Anthem takes about two-minutes to play, Berry fiddled with a t-shirt with “Activist Athlete” printed thereon.  She eventually covered her head with it, although not in shame as she should have.

 

This exercise was merely a dry run inasmuch as these competitions were conducted to select athletes qualified enough to compete in the Tokyo Olympics.  Imagine the show, the display of “activism” Berry might mete out in the event of a podium stop in Tokyo.

 

If you have any doubts about hate for, and disrespect of, the United States by its citizens, please read on.

 

Evidently there is a BMX bicycle competition in the Olympics geared toward any child-like individual without genuine athletic talent.  BMX is an event where participants ride specially-designed bicycles around a bumpy dirt track in an effort to jump and twist in mid-air to earn points.

 

It so happens that a BMX Freestyle rider made some news the other day to punctuate the fact about Americans hating America and fellow Americans.

 

A man, who identifies as a transgender woman, Chelsea Wolfe, has been named as an alternate to represent the United States in Tokyo.  If you thought that was the good news, please read on.

 

Wolfe made the statement in a Facebook posting – the same Facebook that banned President Donald Trump because of hateful messages – which said he/she wanted to win the Olympics so that he/she could burn the American flag on the podium.

 

Not to be outdone in the media whore category, a woman runner, Sha’Carri Richardson, a medal hopeful winner, actually came in first in her sprint race to qualify for the Olympics.

 

That’s the good news.  The bad news is Sha’Carri failed her drug test for marijuana, a substance banned by the IOC.  With her red hair flowing, Sha’Carri addressed a reporter about her unfortunate run-in with following rules.  She told the reporter she was only human; President Joe Biden agreed with her.  ‘Nuff said.  

 

Meanwhile, all sorts of wanna-be newsmakers offered their opinions of all three of these aforementioned instances of people’s inability to obey rules and regulations.  Many pundits took the side of turning a blind eye to any and all violations in favor of creating a lawless society.

 

It doesn’t matter to the athletes, media, or even many Americans that rules of participation are flaunted.  This is a microcosm of society-in-general as is evidenced by senseless shootings, rampant drug use, disingenuous reporting of news by the media, and lack of candor from politicians.

 

Now is the time to ignore the Olympics, and cease funding of them altogether, to stop these crazies and their associated acts of contempt.  If they want to hate this great country, let them hate it on their dime, not mine, or let them break the rules elsewhere.