441: Gymnastics Commentary Hall of Shame (Commissioned)

GymCastic: The Gymnastics Podcast

WATCH HERE

Club Gym Nerd members can watch the podcast being recorded (pre-edits with all the bloopers and blunders that don't make it onto the final show) and see video clips of the gymnastics while we discuss.

This week's episode has been commissioned by AnnaMarie, who asked for an episode all about gymnastics commentators—the good, the bad, and the ugly. TBH, we mostly did the ugly part.

HALL OF SHAME

• Sexually inappropriate comments about minors: Nope.
• Sexually inappropriate comments about adults: Double nope.
• Infantilizing adults and calling them little girls: Triple nope.
• Weight Shaming: The Monica Phelps Chapter
• Being weirdly obsessed with adoption: The Al Trautwig Chapter
• Tragic moments in college commentary
• Tragic moments in putting on accents

GYMCASTIC'S OFFICIAL BROADCAST DOs and DON'Ts

• 18 Dos and (mostly) Don'ts for gymnastics broadcasts concerning comparing gymnasts to dented cars, being the smile police, "Bela's girls," and talking about a gymnast's "personality."

BANNED WORDS AND PHRASES

• From "supple" to "weight" to "international look" to "ancient" to "4 inches wide," we have some words and phrases that are hereby banned from gymnastics commentary.
• The most important message for any commentator to reiterate before they begin broadcasts re smashing the patriarchy for the witches they couldn't burn.

WE HAVE A NEW PODCAST

On Gymnastics International, we’ll take a deep dive into the latest competitions from around the world, covering them with the depth and detail we typically only reserve for US women’s elite competitions. Because national borders are stupid. This week: Japanese and Chinese Nationals!

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