Olympic Heroes Can Be Criticized. It's Part of Sports.

by Julian Spivey

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​If there is something I’ve learned from watching the last few Olympics, it’s that you can’t criticize American Olympian heroes, not even in the slightest. Not even when asking others on your platform a question that might result in a negative answer.

American Olympic viewers don’t want to think of their Olympian heroes as anything less than perfect, maybe not so much as athletes, but as people.

It’s truly a positive response. It’s nice to want to go to battle for people even when their athletic performance might not be up to their best. To see them as human because they are. They might have things going on off or outside the court, mat, pool, etc., affecting their performance.

But as someone who has followed sports for a lifetime, it’s weird to see this response from fans. I’m used to the cutthroat type of sports fan. The kind that when an athlete isn’t perfect, they’ll let you and, often even them, know about it in their reactions, either with boos at the venue or with tweets/comments on social media.

Often, this vitriol is dumb, as in the basketball fans who believe LeBron James is a bum despite a resume that rivals most of the greatest players of all time in his sport.

Sometimes, it’s warranted. Example: Why isn’t Clayton Kershaw the same pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers in the postseason as he is in the regular season?

As long as sports fans don’t go out of their way to completely bash or belittle an athlete, these criticisms are valid, just as they would be if one were to review the performance of musicians, actors and authors. It’s just a part of public life.

So, when I ask our followers on our various social media pages a question like: Has American swimmer Caeleb Dressel negatively affected his Olympic legacy with his poor performance in the 2024 Paris Olympics after the defending champion failed to medal in the men’s 50m freestyle and failed to even qualify for the final in the men’s 100m butterfly I’m dumbfounded to receive replies like: “No, it doesn’t and you should be ashamed for posting this” as I did from one person on our Threads post.

I’m dumbfounded because if I were to ask a question like: Is Atlanta Braves slugger Matt Olson letting his team down amidst a season slump? I wouldn’t receive a response like: “He’s trying his best. Leave him alone.”

I think some of it has to do with the big USA and American flag on their Olympic uniforms, too. There’s a bit of that “how dare you say something bad about America!” uber-patriotism about the Olympic games.

It may also be that the Olympic Games attract a more casual sports fan than the professional and collegiate sports we watch on an annual basis.

But sports is and has always been graded on performance.

Athletes are under pressure. It’s part of the game, part of the competition. These games and events are win-or-lose, and athletes are scored on their performance.

We can feel empathy and sympathy for them when they don’t do well, but they are graded on how they perform in their field. Performing poorly on your sport’s biggest stage will affect how some view one’s legacy.

And for the many people who responded that Dressel had stepped away from the sport for mental health purposes, I can feel empathy and sympathy for him. But Simone Biles also stepped away from gymnastics for multiple years (longer than Dressel was away from swimming), and she returned to the biggest stage and furthered her legacy as the G.O.A.T. in her sport. She’s already won two gold medals and will likely win more.

So, if I can celebrate Biles's comeback furthering her legacy, I should be able to knock Dressel down a notch or two for not doing the same.

Nothing is ever going to keep Dressel from being an Olympic legend. Nine gold medals have clinched his spot among the greatest in his respective sport and the Olympic Games.

But athletes aren’t free from criticism simply because they’re competing for their country.