Athletes often break records at the Olympics. This year, the Olympic Games itself broke a record: According to Outsports, 193 openly LGBTQ+ athletes are competing, more than ever before and a stunning increase from just 23 such competitors in 2012. Instead of applauding the Olympians whose jackets display your own country’s flag, apparently you are supposed to cheer for those who have waved the rainbow flag. Out Magazine issued a list of “97 LGBTQ+ athletes we’ll be rooting for at the 2024 Olympics.” Them published the article “25 LGBTQ+ Athletes to Watch in the Queerest Olympics Yet.” Straight athletes who have proven themselves to be “allies” of the LGBTQ+ cause are similarly supported, as evidenced by the PinkNews piece, “All of the times Simone Biles came out swinging for the LGBTQ+ community – including her sister.”
Telling me an Olympian’s sexual orientation is as significant as telling me the brand of tofu my neighbor buys. I simply do not care. It’s information of no value. There are only two reasons why I cheer for a particular Olympian: That athlete is representing America, and/or that athlete is exceptionally good at a particular skill. Statistically, supporting Americans means supporting the best athletes, since the United States has won the most gold medals. But there are obvious exceptions, and sometimes I root for non-American athletes out of my appreciation for sheer sports excellence. For example, I enthusiastically clapped for Russian rhythmic gymnast Yana Kudryavtseva during the Rio games because I think nobody rivals her artistry, elegance, or technique.
Ultimately, emphasizing an athlete’s personal preferences — sexual or otherwise — as a qualification for social support undermines the entire purpose of the Olympics: to celebrate athletes as representatives of their country and for the demonstration of their abilities inside the arena. When we watch in awe as Biles flips endlessly in the air, all markers of her personal life — her NFL player husband, her lesbian sister, her parents’ struggle with substances — are rendered irrelevant. We aren’t impressed by track-and-field star Sha’Carri Richardson’s supersonic speed because she dated a woman; in fact, Richardson told Vogue in an interview that her personal life is off-limits.
Although it might upset progressives who despise meritocratic frameworks, the reality is that attaining a place on the podium is not contingent on an athlete’s beliefs or personal life. The scores reflect metrics like execution, difficulty, or speed; there is no point system for activism, ideology, or sexual orientation. Medals are awarded for skills.