
via Getty
Gold medalist Simone Biles of the USA takes part in the medal ceremony after the Artistic Gymnastics Women’s Team Final of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Rio Olympic Arena, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 9 August 2016. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 9 August 2016. Photo: Lukas Schulze/dpa | usage worldwide (Photo by Lukas Schulze/picture alliance via Getty Images)

via Getty
Gold medalist Simone Biles of the USA takes part in the medal ceremony after the Artistic Gymnastics Women’s Team Final of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Rio Olympic Arena, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 9 August 2016. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 9 August 2016. Photo: Lukas Schulze/dpa | usage worldwide (Photo by Lukas Schulze/picture alliance via Getty Images)
Despite being one of the most decorated athletes of all time,?Simone Biles?often faces criticism for various reasons. In one such instance, a radio host refused to believe that Biles is a professional gymnast, thus grabbing eyeballs. Fans swarmed Twitter to support their favorite idol and listed her achievements to enlighten the host.
Radio show host Holden Kushner attracted many annoyed fans due to his tweet on Simone Biles. While fans defended her stance, they also questioned the basis on which Kushner made claims about Biles’ proficiency. While some listed down her achievements, others went the harsher route. Let’s take a look at some of the top fan reactions.
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The radio host didn’t consider Simone Biles a professional athlete
Kushner posted a tweet indicating how he only considered Tom Brady and Michael Jordan to be a few of the most professional athletes he’s witnessed. This prompted his audience to interact and pick out other prominent names in the sporting world. Two of the names highlighted were Serena Williams and Simone Biles. However, this is where the radio host opened up the floodgates of criticism upon himself.

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TOKYO, JAPAN – AUGUST 03: Simone Biles of Team United States competes in the Women’s Balance Beam Final on day eleven of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Ariake Gymnastics Centre on August 03, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
In a scathing statement, Kushner proclaimed that he did not consider Biles a professional athlete.?
https://twitter.com/Holdenradio/status/1620931293168144384?s=20&t=ZX0K2Y5vOGt9pk3pAlv0NQ
It prompted his audience to defend the star gymnast. One fan was harsh enough to say,?“some of yall are not ashamed of saying stupid s***”. The rest of the critics also followed.
since when is biles not a professional athlete?!?!?! some of yall are not ashamed of saying stupid shit https://t.co/iMDzIiAu8S
— rachel 🙂 (@AnaCardoso786) February 6, 2023
https://twitter.com/panelsandprose/status/1622414240593154048
Who is this???
That has decided to make themselves the main character of the day with the most stupid takes.
Well done. https://t.co/JyzZdp4h0U— The Socialist Gymnerd🖤🩶🤍💜 (@Igbo_Girl_Rants) February 5, 2023
Others resorted to listing down Biles’ achievements in order to prove that she was a professional athlete. It included mentioning her net worth and her accolades overall.
Simone Biles has financed her entire life with her gymnastics career & is worth roughly $16 mil. She holds most gymnastics records, has several skills named after her & widely considered to be the best to ever compete in the sport. What, exactly, makes you a “professional” host?
— Ariel Anne (@ArielAnne10) February 5, 2023
Please tell me this is not a REAL radio host saying that Simone Biles, most decorated American gymnast, tied for most decorated international gymnast, net worth $16 MIL is not a professional athlete. Tell me it’s fake https://t.co/qULeBZtRwe
— Ariel Anne (@ArielAnne10) February 5, 2023
Biles is also good at handling critics by herself
While in this case Kushner was bombarded with Simone Biles’ fans who love the athlete and her work, the star gymnast knows to knock down critics a peg or two by herself. She once silenced a critic trying to moral police her for her attire on Snapchat.
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Apparently,?someone called out Biles?for her outfit and partying videos on Snapchat, saying she was expected to be an example for the younger generation. However, this did not deter the star and the way she lived her life. By responding, “girl?byeeee”, Biles made it clear that she won’t tolerate people judging her for her enjoyment. It’s safe to say that Simone Biles knows and isn’t afraid to speak up for herself.
Watch This Story: Young gymnasts to watch out in the absence of Simone Biles from the World Gymnastics Championship.
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