A. That Maggie Haney NYT Article
Ugh. Must we?
So, the New York Times published an article yesterday seeking to answer the question that no one was asking: “What’s Maggie Haney thinking?”
It’s a fairly ludicrous piece, one that goes too far to the side of uncritically presenting the views of this cult of gymnastics without contextualizing how bonkers what they’re saying is.
But it is obviously bonkers. That dad saying, “If I wanted her to come home happy and smiling every day, I’d send her to clown school” is a line I’ll never forget.
The real highlight comes right at the beginning, when Maggie completely unironically says the words, “I think my mistakes were that I cared too much.”
And my biggest weakness is that I’m a perfectionist. And my biggest challenge is how beautiful I am.
The self-awareness is just dripping off of this one.
It was all the caring you guys! Just so much caring. She cared so much that Riley McCusker went to Pan Ams and nationals following a rhabdomyolysis diagnosis. That’s what it means to care about Olympics I mean Riley. I’m just overwhelmed with all the caring about Riley that was going around last summer. Everyone had her mental well-being at heart.
Maggie’s quote is being roundly and justifiably mocked, but I actually do think a big problem for her is that she cares too much…about the wrong things. You see that in her comment at the end of the piece about gymnastics in the future being filled with underachievers. Oh, heaven forbid. It’s one of a kind with Maggie’s previous quote about Riley’s lawsuit not helping her get to the Olympics.
Um, if presented with the choice of going through what Laurie Hernandez went through or being an “underachiever,” any sane person would choose underachiever. Of course, that’s not an actual choice you’re forced to make and “Olympics” doesn’t have to equal “miserable,” but if it were a choice you had to make, you pick underachiever every time.
“Someone needs to stand up for the coaches” is another gem. Ma’am, you’ve just described the entirety of gymnastics culture until like one nanosecond ago.
The article also links to a Scientology recruitment video with the catchy title “shorter piece” in which the Maggie Bots tell you that the real problem is Laurie.
The video makes the point that Maggie is not as bad as a pedophile so it’s fine, featuring some serious cases of “I’ve never had COVID, ergo it is a hoax” reasoning throughout.
It includes actual parents making stunning arguments like, “finding a new gym counts as abuse” and “Laurie smiled before.” Well, I know I’m convinced.
This “I saw Laurie smile in March of 2016, so all of this must be a play for money somehow and that’s as far as I’ve gotten” business is quite similar to another Gymnast Alliance event going on this week, Pauline Schäfer’s accusations of abuse against her former coach. The club responded by posting a picture of a thank you note that Pauline wrote to her old coach. As though that’s supposed to tell us something. Um, let ye who has not written a lying thank you note to someone you hate cast the first stone.
What’s most alarming about that parent video is that apparently it was produced by a PR firm working with Maggie. So professionals thought this was a good idea.
Is it just me, or were you mostly left thinking, “You shouldn’t feel this strongly about your Level 7 daughter’s gymnastics coach.” Why are you that invested in her life?
Anyway, they had music playing in the gym so it was probably fine.
B. What Else?
–The European Championships in Turkey — still going on — changed the format to feature six countries in the team final instead of eight, the universal sign that things are going awesome. I view this as clear anti-Luxembourg bias, a vicious attempt to strip me of the joy of Luxembourg making a team final.
Meanwhile, for the junior women, there will be only event finals, and team and AA awards will be handed out based on qualification.
–In college land, we’re now at 9 schools that have canceled the 2021 season (Alaska, the Ivies, West Chester, and the DIII NY schools).
On the other hand, the SEC has released its season schedule, beginning on January 8th and featuring only in-conference meets, with two built-in weeks off in the event of COVID reschedules. Another universal sign that things are going awesome.
–The suspended Azarian coaches will have their suspensions lifted after completing some “educational requirements.” Raise your hand if you’re gullible enough to think that’s going to help.
She cares too much…about herself.
It is unfortunate NYT gave her a platform for this. So tone-deaf.
I expected better of Juliet Macur.
Macur is garbage made flesh. Read her self-righteous, preening defense of her article if you really want to vomit.
Ugh. I haven’t seen the defense but I’m upset that it exists. In the past, she has done a good job of covering sports I follow, which is why I expected better of her.
@Anonymous–You must be quite unfamiliar with NYT standard procedures and the general level of their writers now, to say nothing of Baquet and his fascist billionaire owners. They’ve been doing bothsides garbage Cletus Safaris to red-state diners to talk to the poor aggrieved abused MAGAturds for five years solid, anyway. I’m only surprised Macur took this long to show her true excremental self.
The Internet is not for everyone. There are Borders in the world and States different from the USA, and in these States Culture and Statehood is not racism and not communism, it is the Law of Duty. On Sunday, not in the US, I saw the harassment of female players at sports competitions and the harassment of sports. I am a very good specialist, I am from Human Resources and that is why I can see it. That’s why I have a lot of enemies, because I’m exemplary and not only in sports❗Why did I write this ❓ I don’t defend Magic, and normally we don’t like ourselves. But such matters need to be dealt with on a regular basis ❗ I do it. Once and stop Now there is a discussion as to why She used such methods and not others, because there is a medal. Child’s shit medal. It’s the same with Nassar. I get things done quickly and then there is no Case. He is innocent in that case. I have a comfortable situation and I am safe because I write from a distance 😂 I respect myself and my medals and successes a lot, but I am demanding of myself. Social distance ↔ now. Hi. 😂 cool articles.
Well, you’re believable as a HR employee, I’ll give you that.
As an HR rep, I’m offended but also I laughed
Huh?
this bot should be the only visible comment on the NYT article.
Juliet Macur has now officially joined the EXCREMENT CLUB at NYT consisting of HaberHACK, DOWDy, Our Miss Brooks, DOUCHEHat, Dame Peggington BOOZINGTON Noonington, and the other dripping syphilitic cunts which Pravda now calls ‘opinion writers.
Wow, Haney is even stupider and cuntier than she already seemed! Way to torpedo yourself, Mags!
This might be literally so stupid and unnecessary to ask, but is 2021 NCAA Fantasy Gymnastics happening this year, and if so where can I join 😂😂I understand if it isn’t happening but I wanna be like Spencer and pretend that everything is normal…
The latest update via the Fantasy Gymnastics Twitter account is that they’re currently assessing what is possible and are hoping to make a decision in the next few weeks. I would keep an eye on their Twitter for updates!
There’s something super shady going on with the mess at Azarians, besides the obvious abusive coaching trio. There’s a chat board Chalk Bucket that regularly discusses everything going on in gymnastics,including Nassar, Haney, Geddert and recently Azarian but interestingly, and also disturbing, any conversations about Azarian were ordered to be stopped by the head of Chalk Bucket, without explanation.
They’ve been threatened with legal action in the past on different cases but this is the first time they actually wiped out active threads on a topic and said it couldn’t be discussed….silly us, we thought USAG was changing…
Oh man all of this is so accurate. The absurdity of that video… They were FLOORED that Maggie would be compared to Nassar…while they trot out gymnasts who were clearly groomed by an abuser to never criticize her.
NOOOOO only 6 in the Euro team final?!? I am gutted for Luxembourg.
At least it will be an exciting battle for the 5th and 6th spot into finals. Croatia, Czech Republic, Latvia one of which will be left out along with LUX.
Something tells me there is something dark in Haney’s past. Between the abusiveness, lack of boundaries, plastic surgery, and weird bullying/victimhood, there is a lot to pick apart. I don’t understand how no one around her didn’t see this coming. Her MIL is actually a big time women’s basketball coach. You would think she could spot the problems.
Absolutely. The dark thing that happened to her (all of us?) was gymnastics.
I liked the whole “the Hernandez camp didn’t respond to interview requests” part. How exactly did that request go? “Hi, we’re writing an article in support of someone who mistreated you for much of your life. Anything you want to say? No, of course we aren’t going to accurately describe the abuse – we’re totally going to downplay it with euphemism and by choosing the least objectionable framing possible. Still, comments? You sure you don’t want to contribute to this article? No? Clearly this is a sign that *you* are the problem here.”
EXACTLY my thoughts! I’d really LOVE to see or hear the pitch the writer gave to the Hernandez & McCusker families about what Maggie & the NYT was up to in this piece. Both families, or their lawyers or “spokespeople”, have commented in many NYT pieces since going public… maybe all of their pieces since going public, actually, besides this one. I wonder what’s different hmmm 🤔 🧐
Well, I gave Juliet Macur some statements about a complaint filed over two years ago. She told me she was writing a piece on the USAG Safe Sport process, so I was happy to share our experience. Then lo and behold, my comments were randomly embedded in an article about Mary Wright. I know NOTHING about Mary Wright, and I would not have agreed to be quoted in that article. Thankfully, the article was so slapdash, I’m not sure many people actually read it. So I’m not confident Macur was transparent when she interviewed people for this article.
that article in one word was yikes. i hid my hyperextended knee from my parents (and coach) because i didn’t want to be pulled out or take a break during postseason. people who blame parents clearly don’t know how easy it is to hide things from them when you want to achieve your goals so badly, even when you have good coaches, let alone abusive ones.
That thank you note from Pauline is ridiculous. She says that Gabi „only very rarely lost her temper“ – so Pauline‘s understanding of the situation is that she would have had reason to lose it more often? It‘s very telling that it‘s a birthday card and Pauline is all about the struggles and being proud of her coach. The stuff a teenager would tell herself in order to normalize the drama happening around them because they‘re not ready to accept the extent of things…