The Olympic judges didn't find much fault in 16-year-old gymnast Gabby Douglas' performances in the team competition and all-around finals last week. But according to the Huffington Pos [5]t, on Fox News' America Live, guest host Alisyn Camerota had a concern about the images seen around the world of the record-breaking African-American athlete and two-time gold-medal winner.
Did Gabby fail to point her toes? Did she celebrate with the crip walk, Serena Williams-style? Did she fail to profusely thank God in her interviews?
None of the above. She wore a pink leotard. Camerota went on to add context to her concerns about uniform design:
There was a proud moment at the Olympics yesterday when 16-year-old Gabby Douglas won a gold medal in gymnastics. The crowd went wild with cheers -- though we're not hearing the chants of "USA, USA" that we've heard in some Olympics gone by. And some folks have noticed that American athletes' uniforms don't carry the Stars and Stripes look as much as they had in past years. The famous flag-style outfits worn in years past replaced with yellow shirts, gray tracksuits, pink leotards. So how do we show our patriotism at the games?
The host acknowledged that Gabby wasn't the only athlete to stray from red, white and blue (it was clearly a decision from higher up), so why did she choose Gabby as an anchor for the fretting-about-patriotism commentary? Reading really carefully between the lines, we detect what feels like a subtle effort to link this black gymnast's groundbreaking performances with generalized anxiety about the loss of America of "years past." (We know what that means.)
In any case, the majority of viewers rooting for Team USA will agree that the most unpatriotic thing about this story is Fox News' choice to nitpick uniform choices and cheering styles instead of celebrating American wins.
Read more at the Huffington Post. [5]
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