Following Simone Biles' shocking
withdrawal from the team gymnastics competition at the Tokyo Olympics on Tuesday, many have applauded her for focusing on her mental health. But conservative talk radio hosts Clay Travis and Buck Sexton had little compassion for the star athlete, indicating on their
Tuesday show that Biles' decision was selfish.
āWe all have emotional and psychological struggles,ā Sexton said. āThatās just a constant of being a human being. But what about your teammates?ā
Travis wondered how fans would react if Tom Brady or LeBron James did something similar by pulling out of a major game because they couldn't handle the stress.
āI feel like LeBron, actually, he might do that,ā Sexton said.
The two hosts denounced the groundswell of support Biles received from social media, questioning the "bravery" of choosing to not compete.
āThe blue checks have already rallied to Simone Biles' defense and said, āOh, itās so brave,'" Travis said.
āWhy is this brave?ā Sexton asked. āWhatās brave about not being brave? 'Cause thatās what weāre talking about here. This is, āOh, you didnāt stand up to the bully?ā No, I think thatās the not brave move.ā
āI think that we have created a generation of athletes thatā¦ get influenced by the pressure and the constant drumbeat of interactions on social media, Instagram, Twitter, whatever it might be,ā Travis said. āAnd those apps, I believe, are profoundly unhealthy for most teenagers. A lot of times, youāre listening to people who donāt understand you very well and you allow their perspective on you to overwhelm you psychologically.ā
He continued, āThis is without precedent. I canāt ever remember an elite athlete calling out of a game and saying, 'The stress and the pressure of the game got to be too much, I couldnāt perform.'"
