💖 Simone Biles: Finding Love & Joy In Performing Again

Simone Biles is one of the architects of the Gold Over America Tour, which delivers a message of hope, confidence and seizing control. [View in browser]( [FOX SPORTS INSIDER WITH MARTIN ROGERS]( In today’s FOX Sports Insider with Martin Rogers: The Gold Over America Tour began on Tuesday and is the first public gymnastics action Biles is undertaking since her traumatic yet ultimately inspirational Olympic adventure in Tokyo ... we take a look at potential U.S. host cities for the 2026 World Cup ... and we are treated to a laugh-out-loud video featuring New York Jets fans. Simone Biles just hit the road and it is one heck of a schedule: Seven weeks, 35 performances before packed crowds, and a whirlwind of media and promotional events along the way. The four-time Olympic gold medalist and 19-time world champion is not only the headliner but also one of the architects of the Gold Over America Tour, which, given her popularity and the initial response, seems virtually guaranteed to be a serious commercial success. But there is a bigger goal that that. “To see them smile,” Valorie Kondos Field, a storied collegiate gymnastics coach, a long-term friend of Biles and the tour’s coordinator, told me via telephone this week. “We are trying to show the whole person of these athletes. The fans will get to see the silly side of Simone and it is wonderful. You get to hear her voice as a young woman who got into the sport because she loved it. It is about getting that joy back. Simone wanted to find the love in what she is doing again.” [STORY IMAGE 1] The tour began on Tuesday and is the first public gymnastics action Biles is undertaking since her traumatic yet ultimately inspirational Olympic adventure in Tokyo. Along the road, she won’t be alone, as the roster also includes Olympians past and present such as Laurie Hernandez, Jade Carey, Jordan Chiles, MyKayla Skinner, plus hugely popular UCLA star Katelyn Ohashi and others. The Tokyo Olympics was supposed to be the time when Biles added an exclamation point to her already-etched status as the greatest gymnast and one of the greatest athletes in history. An overwhelming favorite to win five golds, she eventually was forced to withdraw during the team final, prioritizing her mental health. It later emerged the accompanying stresses of the Olympic campaign had caused her to suffer from the “twisties,” a devastating gymnastic condition that prevents the athlete from recognizing where they are in midair, making landings not just difficult but severely dangerous. Biles pulled out of the individual all-around, with gold going to United States colleague Sunisa Lee, and skipped the apparatus finals with the exception of the beam, in which she claimed bronze. [STORY IMAGE 2]( Her plight, coming so soon after the public difficulties faced by tennis star Naomi Osaka, sparked important further discussion about mental health and the issues faced by athletes, especially young ones. “Simone’s really young,” [seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady told USA TODAY](. “I’m 44. When I was 24, I certainly didn’t have all the answers to all the different pressures and the adversities that you face. I don’t know if we have expectations for people that we should have all the answers, have all things figured out at young ages.” Elite gymnastics carries an intense burden for both the body and the mind. Biles is in her mid-20s but was considered a veteran while still in her teens. To get to the top requires years of sacrifice and in most cases, it’s still not enough. Through it all, the cloud of serial abuser Larry Nassar and his evil catalog of crimes sits above the entire national team program. The astonishingly brave testimony of Biles and hundreds of Nassar victims at his court trials and during senate hearings is some of the most moving – and utterly haunting – television you could ever see. [STORY IMAGE 3] In many ways the tour, deliberately designed to highlight happiness and celebration, is shaped as the complete antidote to that darkness. Biles had one non-negotiable criteria for being a part of Gold Over America – that USA Gymnastics – the organization that failed to protect her and others, was to be in no way involved. The tour’s performances mix artistic creativity with dance and feature active conversations about mental health and anxiety along with extraordinary feats of gymnastic excellence. One of the most poignant moments, Kondos Field said, is when Biles’ friend Ohashi reads a letter to her younger self. This is far from a routine gymnastics show. “It is something much deeper,” Kondos Field added. The relationship between Biles and Kondos Field goes back years. Originally Biles had thoughts of going to college and attending UCLA, where Kondos Field was a groundbreaking coach whose team crafted routines that would go viral on social media and made meets at Pauley Pavilion a hot ticket even in the crowded Los Angeles entertainment space. [STORY IMAGE 4] Their current collaboration is filled with champions, but this time that’s not what matters. Its focal point is to find again what made these athletes fall in love with gymnastics in the first place, all those years ago before it became about seven-hour training sessions and one-mistake-and-you’re-done levels of strain. “With all those tour stops on the schedule mistakes are going to happen,” Kondos Field said. “That’s just part of the fun. “If you are not failing you are not trying hard enough,” she added. “It means you are going after life with everything you’ve got. [STORY IMAGE 5]( Here’s what others have said ... Ben Church, CNN: “It's not yet clear whether Biles will compete at Paris 2024, meaning the tour could be one the last chances for many people to see her perform live.” Dan Wetzel, Yahoo Sports: “For Biles, this is a chance to finally be free of USAG... It will be the kind of show that Simone Biles wants.” Iliana Limon Romero, LA Times: “Star gymnast Simone Biles is still recovering from trauma, but she finds strength in helping others.” Maximum Comfort With Minimalist Feel: The Ridge Wallet Sponsored Content When it comes to your wallet, less is more, and that's why the [Ridge Wallet]( such an ideal fit. It is made with premium materials -- carbon, titanium, aluminum -- yet the Ridge is 60 percent slimmer than the traditional wallet. This makes the Ridge an easy, comfortable fit in your pocket. And because the Ridge is fortified with [RFID blocking technology]( you can rest easy knowing your cards are safe from electronic pick-pocketing. Lighter, sleeker and a 45-day return policy -- it's a no-brainer. Get yours now. Free shipping. [IN OTHER WORDS] - FIFA is currently touring potential U.S. host cities for the 2026 World Cup. [FOX Sports Soccer Writer Doug McIntyre ranks the list of contenders](. - Ahead of their Week 3 tilt, the Rams and Bucs are duking it out for the No. 1 spot in [Colin Cowherd’s latest Herd Hierarchy](. - There’s a new heavy favorite to win the Heisman, yet [FOX Sports Betting Analyst Sam Panayotovich is turning his attention to a familiar face for his best bet](. [THE INTERNET IS UNDEFEATED] [THE INTERNET IS UNDEFEATED]( The team over at B/R Gridiron posted a video on Tuesday morning that certainly made us laugh out loud. Check out the video, which shows someone going around MetLife Stadium, asking fans for one word to describe what it’s like being a Jets fan. A total of 10 fans were asked, and as it turns out, the responses are… well, probably what you’d expect from fans. Give the video a watch and let us know which word you would use to describe the J-E-T-S. [VIEWER'S GUIDE] New York Mets at Boston Red Sox (ESPN, 7 p.m. ET) Taijuan Walker takes the mound for the New York Mets, who take on Chris Sale and the Boston Red Sox. San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres (ESPN, 10 p.m. ET) Brandon Crawford and the San Francisco Giants go up against Fernando Tatis Jr. and the San Diego Padres. [BET OF THE DAY] [BET OF THE DAY] Odds provided by [FOX Bet]( Carolina Panthers at Houston Texans Sam Darnold 250+ Passing Yards & Panthers To Win: +100 Sam Darnold and the 2-0 Carolina Panthers travel to Houston to take on the Texans, who are coming off a 31-21 loss to the Cleveland Browns. Darnold has been better than expected through two weeks this season. He is completing 68.5% of his passes and has thrown for 584 yards and three touchdowns with just one interception. Darnold is going up against a Texans defense that has given up 52 points through two games, which ranks 20th in the NFL. Rookie QB Trevor Lawrence threw for 332 yards in Week 1 against the Texans, while Baker Mayfield threw for 213 yards in a Week 2 loss to the Browns. FOX Bet is offering a wager for Sam Darnold to throw for 250-plus yards and the Panthers to win at +100. Go ahead and lock this bet in. [WHAT THEY SAID] “I would hope I would inspire kids everywhere to know that you can do anything you put your mind to.” — Simone Biles [FOLLOW FOX SPORTS] [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [YouTube]( [Instagram]( Download FOX Sports App: [Fire TV]( [Roku]( [Google Play]( [App Store]( [Fire TV]( [Roku]( [App Store]( [Google Play]( Also available on these devices: [fireTV | AppleTV | ROKU | Google Chromecast | XBOX ONE | SAMSUNG Smart TV] [fireTV | AppleTV | ROKU | Google Chromecast | XBOX ONE | SAMSUNG Smart TV] Trademark & Copyright Notice: ™ and © 2021 Fox Media LLC and FOX Sports Interactive Media, LLC. All rights reserved. Please do not reply to this message. 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