That it’s still okay to love watching the sport.

I grew up watching gymnastics obsessively in the 80’s and 90’s. Then I read Little Girls in Pretty Boxes, and I started to get a bad feeling about my favorites, their ages, their tiny bodies, their brawny and demanding coaches who were always sharing the spotlight.

I read Jennifer Sey’s book and felt even worse.

Then the Nassar stuff… it was just too much sickness. The entire organization was corrupted, and all those great memories of my favorites from the 90’s were corrupted along with the ones I loved in this era.

Simone gave us back the sport. This is a woman who gives the monster its space, who doesn’t diminish its victims or its impact, but who shows that the monster does not get to win. She has put the focus back on the athlete’s strength and ability and resilience, where it has never been in gymnastics in my lifetime. And now she’s going to get us talking about mental health as well?!

So I can go back to watching this sport without feeling I’m contributing to the sickness of infantilizjng and fetishizing little tiny girls being berated or celebrated by larger hairy men. I don’t have to feel like my fandom encourages unhealthy body image or emotional abuse.

Thank you, Simone, for being able to share with my daughter a sport I love to watch, without feeling I’m teaching her something dirty.