After Mikaela Shiffrin, the star American skier, fell in the women’s slalom on Wednesday, experiencing one of the most heartbreaking moments of her career, the NBC broadcast lingered on her as she sat hunched on the side of the slope, head down in her folded arms. The announcers called it a major disappointment.
To some fans, it felt like an uncomfortable or even exploitative intrusion in a dark moment. Many observers on social media drew a parallel to Simone Biles, the American gymnast who has openly talked about the burden of Olympic expectations and how they have affected her mental health, and consequently her performance.