All Olympians are expected to smile through inhuman amounts of pressure, fear, and doubt, yet certain athletes shoulder another terrible burden. Widely seen as closeted, 28-year-old skater Jeremy Abbott fell hard during his routine Thursday. Again. Asked about his pattern of choking on big nights, he lashed out in a way that may bring back memories of titanic, welling emotions before you were out:
"I would just hold my middle finger in the air and say a big 'F you' to everyone who has ever said that to me because they have never stood in my shoes.
"They've never had to do what I had to do. Nobody has to stand center ice before a million people and put an entire career on the line for eight minutes of their life when they've been doing it for 20-some years. And if you don't think that that's not hard, you're a damn idiot.
"I'm proud to be standing here. I'm a four-time national champion and a two-time Olympian, and no one can take that away from me. So whatever people have to say about me, that's their own problem because I'm freaking proud of what I've done and I'm not going to apologize for any of it."
Maybe the media has more to cover in gay sports than the self-congratulating stories that they are "ready" for Michael Sam.
Comments