Viewers Rip NBC's Coverage Of Mikaela Shiffrin, Liken It To Simone Biles
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NBC’s reporting on Mikaela Shiffrin’s second straight skiing disqualification at the Beijing Winter Olympics has some fans comparing the coverage to Simone Biles’ struggles at the Summer Olympics. And not in a good way.
Shiffrin missed a gate early in the slalom Wednesday and left the course, disqualified in a second event.
NBC’s coverage included a camera focused on Shiffrin’s forlorn figure sitting on the slope. She then gave a tearful soul-baring interview in which she said her mishap in the slalom, after falling in the giant slalom two days earlier, “makes me second-guess the last 15 years. ... Just processing a lot for sure and I feel really bad.”
Commentators spoke about her disappointment as one of the sport’s all-time greats — and an Olympic gold medalist in slalom and giant slalom. That also irked fans.
Many viewers compared the coverage with the network’s treatment of Biles, a defending gold medalist in gymnastics who came under intense focus at the Tokyo Olympics as she shared her mental health struggles and dropped out of events.
NBC learned absolutely nothing from Simone Biles and now they are doing the SAME thing to Mikaela Shiffrin and it’s infuriating.
— Alex (@alexmichelle31) February 9, 2022
seeing a LOT of similarities between Simone Biles this summer in Tokyo and now Mikaela Shiffrin in Beijing… perhaps the pressure we put on these female athletes (who are publicly suffering mental pain) is too much???
— vnastea (@vnasteaaa) February 9, 2022
The cameras staying on Mikaela Shiffrin for this long after the media putting extensive pressure on her prior to the games shows they didn’t learn shit from Simone Biles
— David Rotenberg (@ACW00DY) February 9, 2022
I hope @usskiteam keeps Mikaela the hell away from press. Let her process this PRIVATELY.
— Alex (@alexmichelle31) February 9, 2022
This. We were supposed to learn this lesson last year with Simone Biles. Let’s show Mikaela Shiffrin some empathy, not only for her own mental health, but also for the wellbeing of all of the girls who look up to her. https://t.co/NeRoxsBe7r
— Kasia Hart (@kasia_hart) February 9, 2022
Hi, let’s please not forget the amount of pressure/expectations we put on Simone Biles when discussing Mikaela Shiffrin. Please stop calling her struggles an “all time Olympic disappointment” on national TV after putting those kind of expectations onto her
— Katie Moseley (@matiekoseley) February 9, 2022
I don't know, shaming people just because they didn't perform well at the Olympics feels like the opposite of why we supposedly have the Olympics in the first place.
— Charlotte Clymer 🏳️🌈 (@cmclymer) February 9, 2022
.@NBCOlympics Simone Biles didn’t go on a mental health crusade for you to force Mikaela Shiffrin to interview almost immediately after one of her greatest disappointments. Give her space to process. Do better.
— kara lynn (@_kara_lynn) February 9, 2022
Simone Biles wasn't enough. The relentless hype machine has claimed another victim. Mikaela Shiffrin had to win. She exists only to win. NBC told us so.
Just let the poor girl be. She's obviously not into it. It's OK. #Olympics— Brian Daly (@briandalynj) February 9, 2022
@NBCSports has learned nothing from their treatment of Simone Biles, judging by their comments about Mikaela Shiffrin. Sending love and positivity! #MentalHealthMatters#Beijing2022pic.twitter.com/YKwZykhLai
— Red.Rocks.n.Beaches (@ScienceShark) February 9, 2022
This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.
