Simone Biles has been all over the headlines at the Paris Olympics! Of course, her clenching four medals is a big reason, but that’s not all. Her online spat with her former teammate made all the roars on the internet. Plus, she has even stirred up things with a social media post that seemed to take a swipe at Donald Trump. But just as with any big spotlight, it’s not always the good stuff that gets attention.

Along with millions of praises, a fair share of controversy and trolling does slide along, and this is exactly what happened. Simone Biles’s recent revelation on getting Botox wasn’t that well received and even her husband faced trolling for simply wearing her gold medal. And to top it all off, even her height is now being discussed. And Mookie Betts jumped onto the bandwagon and commented on her 4’8 height. The drama doesn’t seem to stop rolling!

The Simone Biles effect is real and powerful!

Let this sink in—Simone Biles’s TikTok showcasing her gold medals racked up 50 million views and a media value of $12.88 million. Biles, right now, is the center of attention and as such, everyone is talking about her—and some basking in her glory! Just check out NBC’s numbers: they saw a massive 34.7 million viewers across all their platforms on the day Team USA won gold. Talk about cashing in!

But they aren’t alone in trying to cash into the limelight. Mookie Betts seems to be doing the same! He was in conversation with Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola when he brought out the topic of Simone Biles. Betts, in a fun-take, did bring the gymnast’s physical attributes into the conversation. Betts mentioned, “She’s 4’8” talking about whether Simon Biles could dunk at basketball or not, given her skills. Mookie Betts further added that if Simone Biles could, he would be impressed!

And let’s be real here— there’s no denying that Simone Biles’ achievements tower over any discussion about her height. With a collection of over 7 gold, 2 silver, and 1 bronze in the Olympics, Biles is a gymnastics legend. Mookie Betts praised Biles for all her accomplishments and said, “I mean she’s super athletic and everything, let’s put some attention on her. Everything she’s done, I mean she’s awesome, she’s great,”

Simone Biles has etched her impressive legacy with her hard work, talent, and stellar results. And it seems like Mookie Betts isn’t the only one talking about her height!

Jason Whitlock commented on Simone Biles, comparing her with Kevin Garnett

Simone Biles has the story that many hope to achieve. From growing up in foster care and being adopted by her grandparents to openly sharing her struggles with mental health, her journey is one of strength and victory. She has that element that connects her to the people and it is hence no surprise that people now call her the “GOAT” when it comes to gymnastics. However, sports columnist Jason Whitlock went on to the Alex Cooper podcast and bluntly labeled Simone Biles, criticizing fans for not understanding gymnastics and blindly ranking her as a “GOAT” and making her stand along with the greatest athletes of all time.

Jason Whitlock, as quoted by Daily Mail, said, “Most of us don’t even understand gymnastics, we don’t know how it’s scored, we don’t know what’s good or bad. But we all pretend every four years like, “Oh my god, what an incredible athlete! She’s the greatest, she’s the Jesse Owens [of gymnastics], she’s the Serena Williams, she’s the Michael Jordan.” And this isn’t even the first time Whitlock had bowled Biles because earlier this year, when Biles opened up on why she withdrew from the Tokyo Olympics and revealed that negative media attention made her do so, Whitlock dismissed her concerns.

He implied that Biles was exaggerating her importance and said, “Simone Biles is pretending like she’s Caitlin Clark and that people actually know who she is. She’s built up this importance of herself and does things to make herself feel important.” Well, for fans and Simone Biles, all these talks are just white noise, something that comes several times when one is climbing on the way top. And will it stop Simone Biles from going further? Absolutely not!