WEBVTT - Biles & The Twisties.  Sally Jenkins Talks to A&G

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<v Speaker 1>The Armstrong and Yetti Show. The greatest female swivel of

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<v Speaker 1>all time, Katie, look take you to the wall? Who

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<v Speaker 1>like a Sullivan to pick up the silver? Finishing one

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<v Speaker 1>and two in the swimming there that Katie Ladecki, who

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<v Speaker 1>was uh supposed to? That's the wrong thing to say,

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<v Speaker 1>expected to. That's not fair either. I don't like that

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<v Speaker 1>that they decide who's gonna win the golds ahead of

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<v Speaker 1>time and then if because then if you finish anything

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<v Speaker 1>short of gold, it's a failure. Um. Anyway, there are

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<v Speaker 1>a couple of races that she was expected to win

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<v Speaker 1>and she did not, but she won the gold. There.

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<v Speaker 1>We have been doing pretty well the swimming. Let's check

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<v Speaker 1>it on the Olympic story with Sally Jenkins. She's the

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<v Speaker 1>sports columnist for the Washington Post. We've had her on

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<v Speaker 1>the show before. She's won all kinds of awards and

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<v Speaker 1>honors for being a sports uh columnists. How are you

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<v Speaker 1>this morning? Sally? Doing great? Thank you? Um. Just in general,

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<v Speaker 1>just kind of a general overview of the Olympics, I'm

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<v Speaker 1>having trouble. I feel like the bloom is off the

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<v Speaker 1>rows of Olympics to a certain extent. Um. I don't

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<v Speaker 1>feel like people are paying as much attention as they

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<v Speaker 1>have an Olympics past. I grew up with it being

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<v Speaker 1>just a monumentally huge event. You know, the world would

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<v Speaker 1>come to a stop. It felt like to me when

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<v Speaker 1>the Olympics was going on. I don't feel like that's

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<v Speaker 1>happening now. Is that just my own life or do

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<v Speaker 1>you feel that. I think there's something to that. I

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<v Speaker 1>think part of it is some disillusion with the International

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<v Speaker 1>Olympic Committee and the way they've gone about their business.

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<v Speaker 1>I think people have some real objections to, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>sending the games to Russia under Putin and to China

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<v Speaker 1>under Jim Paying. I think Americans have the sense to

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<v Speaker 1>know that doing business with dictators is not great for

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<v Speaker 1>the Olympics. You know. I think it's a combination too

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<v Speaker 1>of you know, the COVID year and being a little

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<v Speaker 1>unsure about the wisdom of this Olympics, and you know,

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<v Speaker 1>I think it's a combination of factors that that add

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<v Speaker 1>up to maybe less an enchantment. Yeah, and uh, we've

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<v Speaker 1>been talking about how things just change. You know. American

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<v Speaker 1>Idol was the number one show in America for several

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<v Speaker 1>years and forty million people have tune in and then

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<v Speaker 1>they just saw enough of it. And when I was

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<v Speaker 1>a kid, boxing was the biggest sport in the world.

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<v Speaker 1>Every kid in my class always knew who the world

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<v Speaker 1>heavyweight champion was. There's nobody in my son's class that

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<v Speaker 1>would know that. I mean, so, you know, things come

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<v Speaker 1>and go, and popularity, it's just a fact they do.

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<v Speaker 1>What doesn't go out of style is the excitement of,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, watching a really great performance. You know, watch

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<v Speaker 1>watch somebody win a medal. Michael Phelps, I think, was

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<v Speaker 1>you know, just an epic an epic athlete to watch.

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<v Speaker 1>And um, you know, the athletes always cleanse the Olympics.

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<v Speaker 1>I mean, that's the thing. The performances take over and

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<v Speaker 1>they start exercising a charm over the whole affair that

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<v Speaker 1>that kind of can draw you back in despite your

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<v Speaker 1>best intentions not to watch or you know, not to

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<v Speaker 1>give it that much attention. Yeah, I'm I'm mostly speaking

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<v Speaker 1>for the ratings and just other people I talked to.

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<v Speaker 1>I love the Olympics. My my son and I we

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<v Speaker 1>watched the opening ceremonies. I'm trying to have have him

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<v Speaker 1>have the same experience I had as a kid, because

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<v Speaker 1>I I've always liked the Olympics, and we're gonna we're

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<v Speaker 1>gonna take in a lot of the stuff this this weekend. Um,

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<v Speaker 1>the way it's laid out on peacock, you know, and

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<v Speaker 1>it's all there to watch whenever you want it. You

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<v Speaker 1>can just you know, kind of all a card. It's interesting.

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<v Speaker 1>We're talking with Sally Jenkins, sports columnist the Washington Post.

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<v Speaker 1>It's interesting you got a column about what people are wearing.

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<v Speaker 1>We got off on a thing the other day about

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<v Speaker 1>why do they make the women beach volleyball people playing

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<v Speaker 1>their underwear because it looks like it's women playing in

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<v Speaker 1>panties to me, and and I just I just I

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<v Speaker 1>feel uncomfortable with that, and I think, why are they

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<v Speaker 1>doing that? I agree? And then you watch the men,

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<v Speaker 1>and you see the men and and you know, and

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<v Speaker 1>they're somewhat baggy short right right, Just just to wait

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<v Speaker 1>a minute, you're not doing this to the guys. You're silly. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>just to jump into a second. I want to hear more.

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<v Speaker 1>What you have to say about that is, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>it was just a man's perspective I was given the

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<v Speaker 1>other day. But um, we got a number of texted

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<v Speaker 1>and well, they have to wear those clothes because the

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<v Speaker 1>sand would get in here. Yeah, it doesn't seem to

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<v Speaker 1>affect the dudes. No, No, that's silly. No, No, if

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<v Speaker 1>you and I this is partly why I wrote the

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<v Speaker 1>column in the Washington Post the other day. If you

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<v Speaker 1>actually take the trouble to to pull up the beach

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<v Speaker 1>volleyball rules, you can't believe the difference in the instructions.

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<v Speaker 1>The uniform instructions for the women then the men. Seven

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<v Speaker 1>times it says that the women must wear closely fitting

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<v Speaker 1>this or fitted closely that. I mean, it's all about

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<v Speaker 1>outlining their body. Really creepy and weird. Well so so

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<v Speaker 1>so it's overtly they realize. I guess that the ratings

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<v Speaker 1>are pretty good for beach volleyball, particularly the women, because

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<v Speaker 1>it's hot women in their their panties exactly with very

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<v Speaker 1>fabric covering. I mean, it's the same at the top two.

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<v Speaker 1>Like one of the one of the rules is like,

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<v Speaker 1>if you like, your neckline has to be uh, twelve

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<v Speaker 1>centimeters deep. You know. Wow, that's something I didn't realize

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<v Speaker 1>it was that that on purpose. No, it's very overt,

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<v Speaker 1>very overt. And one of the reasons is, and you know,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm not big on this stuff, but you know, if

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<v Speaker 1>you look up the makeup of the executive committee in

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<v Speaker 1>the sport, I mean it's like it's like sixteen men

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<v Speaker 1>on the on the executive committee of twenty three people.

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<v Speaker 1>I mean it's overwhelmingly male eight year old men who

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<v Speaker 1>are taking cash handouts from the Chinese and the Russians.

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<v Speaker 1>That's right, I mean, that's exactly right. I mean, you're

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<v Speaker 1>not you're not exaggerating when you say that. I know,

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<v Speaker 1>we we've only got a few seconds. If you could

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<v Speaker 1>just jump in with the Simone Biles thing, what what what? What? What?

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<v Speaker 1>What do you think of that? Well? I think people

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<v Speaker 1>need to understand the term twisties. It's a phenomenon in gymnastics,

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<v Speaker 1>and the lay person probably doesn't get it and probably

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<v Speaker 1>watched her walk off that floor and went, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>you know what the f um But in gymnastics people

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<v Speaker 1>instantly understood what it was. The twisties is when you

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<v Speaker 1>develop disorientation in the air. It's like a pie let

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<v Speaker 1>losing the sightline of that is that is interesting. I

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<v Speaker 1>did not know that. I will do a little more

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<v Speaker 1>research on that. I'm afraid we're out of time. I

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<v Speaker 1>really appreciate you jumping on the air with US Today.

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<v Speaker 1>Sally Jenkins, sports columnists, Washington Post read or Stock Armstrong

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<v Speaker 1>and Getty