Gwen Berry is a national disgrace. She has no business representing the United States at this summer’s Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Berry finished third in the hammer throw at the U.S. Olympic track and field trials in Oregon. This guarantees her spot on the U.S. team. Yet, rather than celebrating her accomplishment, Berry expressed her disgust at both our flag and national anthem. As she stood on the podium to receive her bronze medal, Berry turned her back on the flag during the playing of our anthem. If that wasn’t enough, she then draped a black T-shirt—with the words “Activist Athlete” emblazoned on it—over her head, deliberately covering her eyes and ears out of revulsion at seeing the flag or hearing the anthem.
She justified her rabid anti-American behavior by claiming she was the victim of a “set-up.”
“I feel like it was set-up,” Berry said afterwards. “I feel like they did that on purpose, and I was pissed, to be honest. I was thinking about what should I do. Eventually, I just stayed there and just swayed. I put my shirt over my head. It was real disrespectful. I know they did that on purpose, but it’ll be all right. I see what’s up.”
According to this narcissistic snowflake, the U.S. Olympic organizers should have known that Berry is a Black Lives Matter activist, who despises the United States and everything it stands for. Hence, Berry argues they should never have played our national anthem as she stood on the podium. The flag and the anthem “triggered” her.
The problem, however, is that, unlike the Olympics, the anthem is not played every time there is a medal ceremony at the U.S. trials. It is only played once a day—at a scheduled time, usually between 5:20-5:25 pm. This was the exact time the hammer throw medalists appeared on the field. This may come as a shock to Berry, but the world does not revolve around her. When the anthem should be played is not for her to decide.
More importantly, Berry is not just an ingrate but a Benedict Arnold—a disgraceful traitor. No country devotes more resources to its track and field athletes than America. She is able to fulfil her potential and achieve her dreams only because she lives in the greatest country in the world. Instead of appreciating what she has, like a typical radical leftist, Berry spits on her country and flag. Which begs the question: If she hates the United States so much, then why not leave? No one is forcing her to stay.
Berry openly reviles America. She says the flag and our anthem do not “represent” her and “never have” and “never will.” Berry claims her “mission and purpose” is “beyond sports”—to represent the victims of an inherently evil, “systemically racist” nation based on white supremacy and racial oppression. In short, she preaches the BLM gospel: the Stars and Stripes is the equivalent of the Nazi swastika.
Moreover, she vows to go to Tokyo in order to insult and disparage the United States on the world stage. And Berry predicts that other woke U.S. Olympians will follow in her footsteps. She may be right. USA Track and Field CEO Max Siegel says he strongly supports Berry’s anti-American protests, urging other U.S. Olympic athletes to emulate her.
“It’s not new to us as an organization, us being proactive in terms of educating athletes to use their position for positive social change,” Siegel said in a recent interview. “It’s what we do every day. We’ve been trying to educate athletes on how you can use the platform and be positive advocates.”
Yet, Berry has an even bigger, more influential backer: Joe Biden. Jen Psaki, Biden’s spokeswoman, proudly said that Biden fully endorses Berry’s right—and that of the entire U.S. team—to protest at the Tokyo Olympics. It’s no surprise. Biden has said BLM will have a seat at the White House. With the White House having her back, Berry will almost certainly engage in some shameful act on the track field—burning the flag, raising a black power fist or giving the middle finger as our national anthem plays. She wants to be the female Colin Kaepernick (and all the lucrative Nike endorsements and liberal fame that comes with it).
Berry, however, is no martyr for free speech. She is a self-hating American, who if she had any integrity would not be going to Tokyo. Contrary to the claim of Biden and her BLM leftist supporters, Berry does not have the right to defame the U.S. flag and anthem. This is because when she competes at the Olympics—or any other international sporting event—she is representing the entire country. If Berry wants to be a social justice activist, then she can do it on her time and her dime—not on ours. This is why the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has said it will ban and punish any athlete for engaging in political protests. It directly violates the spirit of the Olympics, which is supposed to transcend politics in favor of pure sports and love of competition.
Berry’s behavior is also deeply selfish and inconsiderate; it denies the winning athlete’s moment of glory on the podium. All of the attention is directed toward the protesting activist athlete, not the gold medalist who has spent years training and working for that special, rare triumphant moment. It is self-absorbed narcissism masquerading as social justice activism.
Ultimately, Berry’s protest reflects the deepest impulses of the radical left: hatred for America. Her actions not only disparaged our flag and our country, but besmirched the memory of all those patriots who have fought and died for our glorious flag and country. She committed an act of political blasphemy. For that, Berry has lost the privilege of representing our country. She should be not only banned from going to Tokyo, but from participating in an international competition again.
If the U.S. Olympic committee insists, however, on sending Berry to Tokyo, then it’s time to send these America-hating liberals a clear message: Go woke, go broke. Everyone should tune out the Olympics and not watch. I’m sick and tired of these woke athletes. Are you?
-Jeffrey T. Kuhner is host of “The Kuhner Report” on WRKO AM-680 in Boston. His daily show airs 6:00-10:00 am EST. He can be reached at: JeffreyKuhner@iheartmedia.com
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