by Diane Rufino, June 28, 2021
At Saturday’s U.S. Olympic Track and Field trials, June 26, athlete Gwen Berry, who calls herself an “activist,” was standing on the podium after receiving her bronze medal in the hammer throw when she turned to face the stands and not the American flag, as the US National Anthem was playing.
Gold and silver medalists DeAnna Price and Brooke Andersen faced the flag with their right hands over the heart while Berry faced away. She eventually picked up a black T-shirt with the words “Activist Athlete” printed on the front and draped it over her head. As she herself explains: “”My purpose and my mission is bigger than sports. I’m here to represent those … who died due to systemic racism. That’s the important part. That’s why I’m going. That’s why I’m here today.”
I didn’t realize that the Olympic forum was a place for individual athletes to express their personal views and political protests. What I DO KNOW is that the athletes on any Olympic team are representing the United States and the values she represents, and every one of the athletes should be required to show her respect.
Do you know what the American flag and the National Anthem mean to me? They are symbols of the greatest country on earth and they remind me how very lucky I am to have been born here.
The flag, in particular, represents the ideal on which our country was founded; it symbolizes Freedom and Liberty. It reminds us of the reasons the many states came together over 200 years ago to form a union, and why the additional states then joined as well – most importantly because they believed in the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution (the unadulterated version).
The flag, and the National Anthem as well, will always touch my heart knowing that over the years it has inspired young men and women who value liberty and who love this country deeply to enlist, to fight wars on her behalf, to bring stability to areas of civil unrest, to help spread her values overseas, and to even put his or her life on the line to do so. Often they end up giving their last full measure. I’ll always think of the horrors our young Americans went through in Word War I, in World War II, in Vietnam and Korea, and are going through now with the war on terror.
Others, so much courageous than I, have fought and died so that myself and every other American, including those who hate this country (like Gwen Berry does and in fact, most liberals and progressives) can speak freely, protest robustly, pray everyday to the God they love, keep and bear firearms in their homes, have the right to privacy and due process, and in general, to live life as a free citizen.
Gwen Berry is a piece of sh**, excuse my French. Not only did she turn her back to the flag, but she covered her face with a shirt reading “Activist Athlete.” The United States didn’t offer her a spot on its Olympic team to push her particular cause; it wanted a superior athlete for the great world competition. Not every platform is an occasion to focus on race or racism. She is an Olympic-grade athlete not because of her skin color but because she is extremely gifted athletically. If she is hates the country for its history, and if the flag and National Anthem offend her so, then why does she even want to represent our country in the first place? Any medal she may earn for the team will never be worth the disrespect she shows and the shame she brings upon us as a country. She certainly doesn’t represent any appreciable portion of the people. Why doesn’t she just settle to perform for some liberal university.
Did she, perhaps, take her cue from another activist athlete, Megan Rapinoe ?
If nothing else, I hope this incident will serve as a wake-up call. This conduct – this outright and most public of disrespectful acts against our country – should never again be tolerated. At home, we honor and support freedom of speech and expression. But on the national stage, when performing as a representative (athletic representative) of the United States, that freedom of speech and expression is suspended. It must be suspended. The United States, thru taxpayer funding, spends a lot of money on its Olympic athletes and in return, all she asks for is respect and loyalty. The Olympics is about solidarity, not division. We have enough of that here.
With that in mind, I believe there should be a requirement, or Pledge, for all those athletes who wish to represent the United States on any of its Olympic teams. The questions should include:
- Do you pledge to show respect to the United States, to the US flag, and the American National Anthem?
- Will you conduct yourself at all times, in the public eye, with respect and class?
- If you consider yourself an ‘activist,’ a member of any ‘woke’ group, or have any other personal crusade issues, will you agree to put them aside and abide by (1) and (2) above?
If the answer to any of these questions is “No,” then the response should be “Too Bad, So Sad, GO HOME!” – or better yet, go to another country!
Forloveofgodandcountry's Blog 
I think she just wants to do her sport, she knows that the u.s., like every country on Earth is controlled by horrible psychopaths who are winning because people like you advocate going along with the ride to hell.
so for her to fake some sort of allegiance to the u.s. would be hypocritical and she prefers not to.
What better place than that to show everybody that the u.s. (like the Earth entire) is going to hell in a hand basket and she’s not for it.
Are you expressing an original thought or were you programmed to write somethiing like that.
Well let’s see if you believe in free speech like the theoretical constitution we used to have before the above psychopaths replaced it with their own.
Hello Le Berger_des_Photons, I don’t think you understood my article. Did you really read it? First of all, I don’t appreciate the comment “Are you expressing an original thought or were you programmed to write something like that.” If you have read anything else I have written, you would instantly know that I am never programmed and I express only my original thoughts and viewpoints. I should point out that I am not only an attorney (2 states), but a molecular biologist (16 years), chemist, and teacher. I attended 2 Ivy League universities – Univ. of Pennsylvania and Columbia (its School of Physicians and Surgeons). I won an award for a novel cloning scheme that I came up with and carried out to successfully mutate certain genes. And I got a patent on a novel cancer screen. I was selected as the Outstanding Teacher from my county my second or third year and I have recently been nominated and selected to represent my state in Who’s Who. I think this short summary of my education and career will suffice that I am capable of expressing independent thought. Furthermore, I have a firm, extremely firm grasp of the US Constitution and Bill of RIghts, as well as the Declaration of Independence. Ms. Berry has the right to her own views and her criticisms of the United States….. we all have criticisms and we all have things we complain about (and write about). You are right that she has the First Amendment right to her speech, expression, and conscience. But my argument is that the Olympic trials is not the platform to do so. As someone who wants the privilege and honor of representing the United States on the US Olympic team, she needs to show proper respect and decorum. US taxpayers fund the Olympic teams and Olympic hopefuls, and every athlete needs to understand that and respect that. Not everyone (not even a majority, or a significant portion of the population) shares Berry’s views. As I mention in my article, the Olympics is about loyalty and it’s about solidarity. For all her faults, past and even present, the United States is still the greatest nation on the planet. Men and women have died so that we can wake up each day in freedom, And yes, they died so that Gwen Berry can express her views and be the activist that she is… BUT NOT ON THE OLYMPIC TRIALS platform, the OLYMPIC GAMES platform, or as an US Olympic athlete.
And yes, you are absolutely right…. much of the world is going to hell in a hand basket. Human decay is to blame.
Thanks for your comment, Diane Rufino
Hello Le Berger_des_Photons, I don’t think you understood my article. Did you really read it?
I quit reading it at the point where it seemed to me, perhaps an unjustified conclusion, that you were saying that the only acceptable behavior for her was to do as the others were doing.
First of all, I don’t appreciate the comment “Are you expressing an original thought or were you programmed to write something like that.” If you have read anything else I have written, you would instantly know that I am never programmed and I express only my original thoughts and viewpoints.
first I’ve ever heard of you.
I should point out that I am not only an attorney (2 states),
I think that overall it’s not certain at all that lawyer’s have done more good than harm.
but a molecular biologist (16 years),
Does that mean that you believe in the theory that inanimate particles are able to penetrate living cells and then take over their reproductive systems and use them for their own ends? Please show me the proof of this theory, I can’t find it.
hcemist, and teacher. I attended 2 Ivy League universities – Univ. of Pennsylvania a
I went to Penn too. The only thing that impressed me about penn was the contacts one can make with people from influential families.
nd Columbia (its School of Physicians and Surgeons).
physicians and surgeons? Those of the cut burn and poison persuasion? Still not impressed..
I won an award for a novel cloning scheme that I came up with and carried out to successfully mutate certain genes.
doesnt sound like a useful thing. Is this weapons development or are you claiming that this is somehow good for humanity?
And I got a patent on a novel cancer screen. I
Is it like the other canncer screens which do more harm than good?
was selected as the Outstanding Teacher from my county my second or third year and I have recently been nominated and selected to represent my state in Who’s Who.
These sound like things that justify more my comments.
I think this short summary of my education and career will suffice that I am capable of expressing independent thought. F
Funny, I see it as the opposite. Who’s who means that “they” like you!
urthermore, I have a firm, extremely firm grasp of the US Constitution and Bill of RIghts, as well as the Declaration of Independence. M
Then you know that the constitution was long ago replaced by the bankers by something which resembles it. vaguely.
. Berry has the right to her own views and her criticisms of the United States….. we all have criticisms and we all have things we complain about (and write about). You are right that she has the First Amendment right to her speech, expression, and conscience. But my argument is that the Olympic trials is not the platform to do so.
Seems like a good place for it. She got YOUR attention!
As someone who wants the privilege and honor of representing the United States on the US Olympic team, she needs to show proper respect and decorum. That’s where I don’t agree. She can only have that high level competition by doing that. It’s called coercion. US taxpayers fund the Olympic teams and Olympic hopefuls, a American taxpayers fund lots of crap they wish they didn’t including as we say in france, “donner le baton pour se faire battre.”.
nd every athlete needs to understand that and respect that. Not everyone (not even a majority, or a significant portion of the population) shares Berry’s views.
Appeal to authority? Are your legal arguments also full of logical fallacies? As I mention in my article, the Olympics is about loyalty and it’s about solidarity.
That’s your opinion. It seems to me that you’re now saying you have to suck up to the usa which is controlled by foreign powers for at least our whole lives to be able to compete in a sport? You have your right to express your opinion, but I don’t agree with you. With that kind of reasoning you’re probably favorable to forcing protestors to protest where the state says it’s ok.
For all her faults, past and even present, the United States is still the greatest nation on the planet. More propaganda being vomited out? Men and women have died so that we can wake up each day in freedom,
Haven’t noticed much of that freedom. And yes, they died so that Gwen Berry can express her views and be the activist that she is… BUT NOT ON THE OLYMPIC TRIALS platform, the OLYMPIC GAMES platform, or as an US Olympic athlete.
Then she’s not really free is she.
And yes, you are absolutely right…. much of the world is going to hell in a hand basket. Human decay is to blame.
human decay? I’d blame it more on a multigenerational conspiracy to dumb down humanity and divide humanity to better control humanity and use us as slaves. You are a sort of uncle tom.
TAnd why is it such hell to edit text on your page? Really horrible to use. hanks for your comment, Diane Rufino