Olympic athlete Gwen Berry has caused a lot of controversy over the last few years. She recently placed third in the hammer throw Saturday during the U.S Olympic trials in Eugene, Oregon, and was receiving her bronze medal when the anthem started playing. While the first and second-place finishers looked at the flag and placed their hands on their hearts, Berry covered her head with a black t-shirt reading “Activist Athlete.” She’d even said afterward she thought officials were setting her up just to see how she’d react. Maybe next time, Berry can go to the Olympics on her own dime.
While disrespecting the country and everyone serving in our military and law enforcement, conservative author and host Tim Young pointed out that Berry isn’t as Anti-American as she tries to be. Some are even suggesting that all of this has been a ‘woke’ publicity stunt to land the next Nike deal.
Young found a 2015 image of Barry from her WordPress site called “Gwen Throws” in which she is draped in the American flag. It’s unclear when the photo was taken but the blog post was dated June 12, 2015.
“Gwen Berry’s PR team forgot to update her website…” Young captioned the photo.
The photo went viral and made rounds on social media, with users questioning what changed over the last six years. They pointed out that it looks like her entire “Activist Athlete” bit is an act and that the flag didn’t offend her years ago. Others said she shouldn’t be representing the U.S in the games today if she feels so offended by her county. Athletes have worked hard for decades and sacrificed so much to be able to achieve the opportunity to represent their county in the Olympics.
Even Donald Trump Jr. tweeted about the long-lost Barry picture. “Totally not all an act! She was definitely not protesting to get attention for herself and/or maybe some of those woke Nike sponsorship dollars. 100% legit and not at all a cottage industry victimization scheme we see so much of these days,” he wrote.
Barry tried to push back with her own ‘woke’ response that she never said she didn’t want to go to the Olympics or that she hated the country. Earlier in the week, she’d raised a fist in protest before an event. She’d also raised her fist during the national anthem in the 2019 Pan American Games after winning gold. As always, actions speak louder than words.
“I never said that I hated the country. I never said that. All I said was I respect my people enough to not stand for or acknowledge something that disrespects them. I love my people. Point blank, period,” Berry said.
So much for “her people” being the Olympic Team that she’s on. Being on a team is about fighting for freedom and liberty together, not having the same skin color. You can’t compete on behalf of the US while digging at the same country that gave you access to all of your dreams.
Berry went on to say that if you know the history of the national anthem, then you know that the “third paragraph speaks to slaves in America” and “our blood being slain all over the floor.” She called the song disrespectful and said that it does not speak for Black Americans.
Former Olympic athlete and Republican candidate Caitlyn Jenner called Berry’s actions “disgusting” and said she should’ve acted differently. Jenner hinted that the other two girls were ahead of Berry anyway and that this was probably “her last hurrah.”
“I don’t like political statements on the podium. We shouldn’t do that. This is the greatest gathering of people and countries in the world. Over 200 countries will be at the Olympic Games — there are 150-something countries in the U.N. and it has such potential for good. Don’t destroy it,” Jenner said.
While other GOP politicians and candidates have called for Berry’s removal from the Olympic Games, Jenner makes a good point that this is a non-issue. Berry finished third in the qualifying round, so the chances of her pulling something similar at another medal ceremony is slim to none. But hey, maybe she’ll get a free pair of shoes for the political performance. That’s what ‘woke’ companies do when you throw a temper tantrum over the National Anthem.
