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memecorkBill Maher sounds like that one slightly drunk parent chaperone that takes everyone's kids to the neighboring USASA competition in his 2018 pearl beige metallic GMC Yukon, the one who hits the apres at 9am before the competition starts then proceeds to incessantly rant and scream from outside the starting tent, while some of what he's saying makes sense even considering it has no grounds for context, most of what he's saying is fully unrelated to the relevance of what actually is occurring but its enjoyable nonetheless to watch
DominatorJacquesHa ha! I like your comment, so, what is actually occurring then?
I believe what he said is all relevant and connected together quite well.
IHatePedophilesI didn't watch it but I saw a ski racer in the thumbnail and I don't like ski racers so I'm gonna assume I won't like the video
weastcoatMake sense now y’all???
thanks for sharing this, dj.
memecorkThanks for sharing your mom with me bro
memecorkI don’t disagree at all that what he’s saying is incorrect, I just think it comes off sounding out of tune with the reality of freeskiing and the actual circumstances that probably led Eileen to make the decisions she made, in the grand scheme it seems to me that regardless of her decision to pursue her aspirations of competing at the Olympics at a time when qualifying for the US team definitely wasn’t fully plausible (as she made the decision years ago before she was even close dominating the girls scene), that nothing he’s mentioning is changed solely by Eileen competing for China or not, the same shit would still be occurring and as fucked up as it may be, Eileen competing for China or not would affect the agenda of it all little to none, I think the whole situation is being used as international drama amongst people who could give an actual fuck about understanding skiing at all, when in reality it’s just one girl who wanted to ski at the Olympics for her own personal agenda/ dream of accomplishment, and as she should, but plenty of athletes represent countries they weren’t actually raised in, the only difference is Eileen has a more targetable platform and a more controversial dual nationality
weastcoatLooks like I started a your mom joke war. Good luck.
DominatorJacquesI can understand when it's someone that knows they won't make the USA's team.
Are you saying she had no chance to make the USA team?
memecorkI’m saying at the time she chose to compete for China, she probably wasn’t close or near as sure, and with the busy life she leads etc/ the seemingly methodical planning she puts into it, she probably wanted to secure a spot somehow and not take chances, that’s just my opinion knowing the decision was made quite a bit ago
edaiWhen did she make that decision like 2015 or so? This would honestly be a non-issue if the US political climate wasn't total dogshit.
memecorkI’m saying at the time she chose to compete for China, she probably wasn’t close or near as sure, and with the busy life she leads etc/ the seemingly methodical planning she puts into it, she probably wanted to secure a spot somehow and not take chances, that’s just my opinion knowing the decision was made quite a bit ago
edaiWhen did she make that decision like 2015 or so? This would honestly be a non-issue if the US political climate wasn't total dogshit.
DominatorJacquesIDK, but I think it was probably about the money. She can laugh all the way to the bank right now.
I know some folks do go to try out with other countries with those rights, and that's fine, but those people knew they had no chance to get into the USA's team at the time.
I find it hard to believe she really thought she couldn't cut the ladies' mustard with the USA.
memecorkI don’t disagree at all that what he’s saying is incorrect, I just think it comes off sounding out of tune with the reality of freeskiing and the actual circumstances that probably led Eileen to make the decisions she made, in the grand scheme it seems to me that regardless of her decision to pursue her aspirations of competing at the Olympics at a time when qualifying for the US team definitely wasn’t fully plausible (as she made the decision years ago before she was even close dominating the girls scene)
DominatorJacquesThat is a good question.
I question how much money was she offered from the Chinese. Who knows?
memecorkI don’t disagree at all that what he’s saying is incorrect, I just think it comes off sounding out of tune with the reality of freeskiing and the actual circumstances that probably led Eileen to make the decisions she made, in the grand scheme it seems to me that regardless of her decision to pursue her aspirations of competing at the Olympics at a time when qualifying for the US team definitely wasn’t fully plausible (as she made the decision years ago before she was even close dominating the girls scene), that nothing he’s mentioning is changed solely by Eileen competing for China or not, the same shit would still be occurring and as fucked up as it may be, Eileen competing for China or not would affect the agenda of it all little to none, I think the whole situation is being used as international drama amongst people who could give an actual fuck about understanding skiing at all, when in reality it’s just one girl who wanted to ski at the Olympics for her own personal agenda/ dream of accomplishment, and as she should, but plenty of athletes represent countries they weren’t actually raised in, the only difference is Eileen has a more targetable platform and a more controversial dual nationality
hunternay_10I don’t think he was concerned with the free skiing aspect of the decision
Monsieur_PatateI call bs on that, she competed for the US on the World cup circuit in 18-19 and placed 1st and 2nd on the 2 events she entered, and the following year she got 2 gold medals at the youth Olympics. Granted she was not dominating yet because of her age, I'd argue she and her entourage were already fully aware of her potential, so I don't believe for a second she switched because she thought she wouldn't be able to qualify for the US team 3 years later.
I'm pretty sure China showed up with a few suitcases of $$$ to try and recruit as much talent as they could ahead of their home Olympics, and the offer was too good to pass up. I'm not judging her, I would have probably done the same, but she made her decision, and it comes with moral ramifications. It's only fair for people to be pointing it out.
I don't have a problem with Eileen switching countries for $, but I don't have a problem with people calling her out for it either. Let's stop being naive, it was a propaganda move for China, and a financial move for Eileen, and both parties got exactly what they wanted out of the deal.
memecorkUnderstanding the freeskiing aspect of the decision and her own personal experience with it paints a much more intricate explanation, again my opinion
christianwearschI think what Bill Maher is saying is clear: Money speaks louder than human rights. Eileen Gu, John Cena, Lebron. They can speak on human rights issues in the US but won’t say anything about it in China because they’re walking home with money. They make money by supporting human rights in America and make money ignoring human rights in China.
I don’t know how involved Eileen has been in the recent movements in America, but for example, if she claims to support BLM but then skis for China, you have to ask if she really cares about human rights of if she’s just chasing what will make her look best and make money.
asparagusI don’t care what people say, Eileen wouldn’t be making millions by staying in the US. Maybe after she won all the olympics, but China is helping her finances way more than the US would (whether that’s moral or not considering the timing of the olympics).
I don’t like the fact that she’s competing for China, but it sorta shows how shitty being a “pro” athlete can be in North America.
asparagusI don’t care what people say, Eileen wouldn’t be making millions by staying in the US. Maybe after she won all the olympics, but China is helping her finances way more than the US would (whether that’s moral or not considering the timing of the olympics).
I don’t like the fact that she’s competing for China, but it sorta shows how shitty being a “pro” athlete can be in North America.
memecorkI remember talking with her around 2018-2019 right about when it became officially decided but I think it was already in fruition before. Regardless I know for a fact at the time she hadn’t podiumed in any world cups, didn’t have any dubs yet, and wasn’t competing near at the level she is now, so it’s not really that hard to believe for me, but power to her and I think she’s a fuckin sick skier with more dedication/ work ethic than 99.99% of people have
Monsieur_PatateI call bs on that, she competed for the US on the World cup circuit in 18-19 and placed 1st and 2nd on the 2 events she entered, and the following year she got 2 gold medals at the youth Olympics. Granted she was not dominating yet because of her age, I'd argue she and her entourage were already fully aware of her potential, so I don't believe for a second she switched because she thought she wouldn't be able to qualify for the US team 3 years later.
I'm pretty sure China showed up with a few suitcases of $$$ to try and recruit as much talent as they could ahead of their home Olympics, and the offer was too good to pass up. I'm not judging her, I would have probably done the same, but she made her decision, and it comes with moral ramifications. It's only fair for people to be pointing it out.
I don't have a problem with Eileen switching countries for $, but I don't have a problem with people calling her out for it either. Let's stop being naive, it was a propaganda move for China, and a financial move for Eileen, and both parties got exactly what they wanted out of the deal.
christianwearschI think what Bill Maher is saying is clear: Money speaks louder than human rights. Eileen Gu, John Cena, Lebron. They can speak on human rights issues in the US but won’t say anything about it in China because they’re walking home with money. They make money by supporting human rights in America and make money ignoring human rights in China.
I don’t know how involved Eileen has been in the recent movements in America, but for example, if she claims to support BLM but then skis for China, you have to ask if she really cares about human rights of if she’s just chasing what will make her look best and make money.
memecorkFair response, I guess we’ll never know fully all the factors and what role they played, but I think it’s a little bit of everything being said in the forum. I’ll be curious to see what she decides for the next Olympics and how it comes about.
PimpChimpinWHO cares about who Eileen chooses to represent. She has the capabilities to either represent U.S or China and she chose China. At the end of the day that’s her decision. If she wasn’t winning any medals none of y’all would care 🤷♂️ Let the girl do her thang
asparagusI don’t care what people say, Eileen wouldn’t be making millions by staying in the US. Maybe after she won all the olympics, but China is helping her finances way more than the US would (whether that’s moral or not considering the timing of the olympics).
I don’t like the fact that she’s competing for China, but it sorta shows how shitty being a “pro” athlete can be in North America.
DominatorJacquesJuicy information. Thanks. I'm glad some folks here know some stuff.
Monsieur_PatateFor sure. I think it'd be weird to switch back a this point, better stick to her decision imo. Also, assuming she didn't get a special treatment, she would have had to renounce her US citizenship in order to get her Chinese passport, making it tricky to come back under the US banner anyway.
Eileen's situation is also different because athletes switching countries usually happens whey they have no shot at making the US team, they'd usually jump at the opportunity of competing for the US but they simply can't. Whereas Eileen decided not to, different situation. And I also think no one would have cared had she switched for a country like Finland. But because it's China, on top of the Olympics happening in China, there are moral and political questions that turned this into a much bigger story.
But I think all of us would be jumping at the opportunity to sing the Chinese national anthem for a $30m check. Easy to judge when you have nothing on the line, much harder when life-changing money is involved.
No insider info, her comp results are public record and the Chinese suitcases of money is just my personal guess. Athletes switch countries for one of two reasons 1. they can't qualify, or 2. more $$. I'm just being realistic about the most likely scenario given Eileen's circumstances. "I wanted to inspire Chinese girls" yeah lmao.
Monsieur_PatateFor sure. I think it'd be weird to switch back a this point, better stick to her decision imo. Also, assuming she didn't get a special treatment, she would have had to renounce her US citizenship in order to get her Chinese passport, making it tricky to come back under the US banner anyway.
Eileen's situation is also different because athletes switching countries usually happens whey they have no shot at making the US team, they'd usually jump at the opportunity of competing for the US but they simply can't. Whereas Eileen decided not to, different situation. And I also think no one would have cared had she switched for a country like Finland. But because it's China, on top of the Olympics happening in China, there are moral and political questions that turned this into a much bigger story.
But I think all of us would be jumping at the opportunity to sing the Chinese national anthem for a $30m check. Easy to judge when you have nothing on the line, much harder when life-changing money is involved.
No insider info, her comp results are public record and the Chinese suitcases of money is just my personal guess. Athletes switch countries for one of two reasons 1. they can't qualify, or 2. more $$. I'm just being realistic about the most likely scenario given Eileen's circumstances. "I wanted to inspire Chinese girls" yeah lmao.
PimpChimpinYou’re telling me you wouldn’t take the extra money? Because I for sure would, the U.S isn’t better than 5 million dollars
PimpChimpinYou’re telling me you wouldn’t take the extra money? Because I for sure would, the U.S isn’t better than 5 million dollars
Professor-Modeloid say that you cant put a dollar amount on freedom of speech and expression
PimpChimpinActually, it works out both ways for her. She’s enrolled in Stanford so she coming back either way🤷♂️🤷♂️ Get that check then go back to school. Sounds good to me
coronaInteresting her nationality still hasn't been revealed. China does not allow dual citizenship so did she renounced her US citizenship?
I've gone from thinking about her as a bit of a traitor to the US to really not giving a shit any more. It's 100% because of money and nothing else and, honestly, I think a lot of people would do the same given the chance. Most people would also likely turn a blind eye to horrible human rights abuses in return for millions of dollars. Also let's not forget she's not that old yet, so likely had a ton of pressure from parents/coaches/whoever else will benefit immensely from her raking in $$$.
WoFlowzWould you all shut tf up about Gu. She chose who she was gonna ski for! Get over it already and stop giving her more attention than she deserves. Was it moral, well that’s up to you but we don’t need 50 threads on this
DominatorJacquesSorry, I had no idea there was 49 other threads.
After I saw Maher's piece on the subject, I felt compelled to share and get opinions.
