I was watching the women's gymnastics portion of the Olympics a few nights ago, and it occurred to me that something hinky was going on. One of the commentators was being more than a little condescending toward the athletes—he kept saying things like "the cute-meter is broken now" and "aw . . . did you see that little grin?"

Yes, Mr. Olympic Commentator with your waxy pompadour, these girls are young. But have you noticed that they're also world-class athletes? Gymnastics at the Olympic level is a bit more competitive than at the annual "Tap and Tumbling" recital in Goatwater Falls, U.S.A. Even more troubling is the fact that most of your comments were made about the physically diminutive Chinese team. With the Australian team, there was talk of poise, flexibility, and execution. Then the Chinese step into the ring and suddenly it's all about how the girls should get 10 points for their smiles alone. Aren't they adorable? This little girl's goal is to win two gold medals. Isn't that cute?

If you were to make similar comments about the male gymnasts, the stadium walls would crumble in a firestorm of righteous outrage. People would point out—correctly—that the Olympics are not about appearances; they're about what you can do. These young women have trained for ten or more years to be at the Olympics. They've sacrificed their personal lives, endured painful and recurring injuries, and gotten up at dawn a thousand days in a row to train at the gym—only to be patronized and talked down to as if they're merely somebody's flat-footed granddaughter in a blue-sequined tuxedo leotard.

During one of the segments, a Chinese woman did a superb routine on the uneven bars. You were beside yourself with amazement, because her routine was different from the one she had performed in practice. Something must have been off-kilter while she was up there, you said, so she adjusted her routine and did the elements in a different order. And it looked flawless, as if this new order was what she had intended all along. You see, Mr. Olympic Commentator, this is what the best athletes do. They are aware of every condition, and they use their intelligence to compensate for problems. Yet, this demonstration of athletic initiative seemed to rattle you to your core—"I've never seen anything like this from an athlete so young!—and with the next competitor, it was right back to the cute-meter.

Get a grip, Mr. Olympic Commentator. Your job is not to be the avuncular spectator, gushing over every grin and giggle. Just fix your hair and let these athletes do their thing. They're the reason you have a job in the first place.

Tags: popculture