Once upon a time, it went without saying that U.S. Olympians were proud athletes who found it to be a privilege to represent our country in sport, but this is no longer a given, thanks to an “activist athlete” who just made the squad but doesn’t have any respect for our country’s flag or anthem.
We’re talking, of course, about Gwen Berry, who turned her back on the American flag as the National Anthem played on Sunday after winning a bronze medal in the hammer throw.
“I feel like it was a set-up, and they did it on purpose,” Berry explained after the fact, adding that she was told the anthem would be played before the athletes took to their podiums to receive their medals. “I was pissed, to be honest.”
This was as gold and silver medalists DeAnna Price and Brooke Andersen not only faced the flag during the playing of the National Anthem but they also put their hands over their hearts.
“They said they were going to play it before we walked out, then they played it when we were out there … But I don’t really want to talk about the anthem because that’s not important,” Berry noted. “The anthem doesn’t speak for me. It never has.
“My purpose and my mission is bigger than sports,” she added. “I’m here to represent those … who died due to systemic racism. That’s the important part. That’s why I’m going. That’s why I’m here today.”
Well, our country doesn’t need another “activist athlete” and especially one who is supposed to be representing the country she obviously despises, according to Navy SEAL vet and U.S. representative from Texas, Dan Crenshaw.
Dan Crenshaw calls for Gwen Berry to be removed from the Olympic team because she turned away from the flag pic.twitter.com/c2xWKLXPPJ
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 28, 2021
“We don’t need any more activist athletes,” Crenshaw said. “She should be removed from the team. The entire point of the Olympic team is to represent the United States of America. That’s the entire point.”
“It’s one thing when these NBA players do it, okay fine, we’ll just stop watching,” Crenshaw said. “But now the Olympic team? And it’s multiple cases of this. They should be removed. That should be the bare minimum requirement is that you believe in the country you’re representing.”
The Washington Times adds:
On Sunday, she tweeted that “I never said I hated this country! People try to put words in my mouth but they can’t. That’s why I speak out. I LOVE MY PEOPLE.”
Berry has protested from the podium before. In 2019, when she won gold at the Pan-American Games, she raised her first during the anthem, drawing a reprimand from the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee.
Fox News contributor Tyrus Murdoch, a former pro wrestler, also ripped Berry for her protest.
“I’m going to give you names here. We’ve had some issues in this country especially as a black man when I go to Tommy Smith, John Carlos, Jessie Owens who, they had issues, they fought, they wanted dignity, but they also wanted a seat at the table,” Murdoch said during “The Big Sunday Show.”
“They wanted to show how much they loved their country, how much they belong, and human rights issues and they fought for it. This isn’t it,” he said.
He added: “This very simply, why are you even competing in the Olympics if you hate the flag and the country so much? If it’s such a horrible place, why are you doing it?” he asked.
