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Map shows which states have the most support for Simone Biles after her withdrawal from Olympic all-around competition

Jul 29, 2021, 18:23 IST
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Simone Biles. Gregory Bull/AP Images
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Simone Biles arrived in Tokyo as the biggest name at this year's Olympic Games.

But after finding that she was mentally 'not there' during the team all-around final, the American superstar and most decorated gymnast of all time removed herself from contention.

She subsequently pulled out of the individual all-around competition as well.

Simone Biles talks with her coach. Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

Everyone from politicians and celebrities to sports pundits and fans around the world have vocalized their opinions on Biles' decision.

Some believe that the choice to drop out was brave and could open the door for other athletes to speak about their own mental health struggles, too. Others felt that the 24-year-old's withdrawal as a display of weakness and selfishness, calling her a "quitter."

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The team at betonline.ag set out to determine which US states support Biles following her unprecedented decision in Tokyo.

Using geotagged Twitter data in the 48 hours following the team all-around competition - when Biles first bowed out - they tracked tweets, hashtags, and direct keyword phrases relating to Biles' choice to sit out.

Simone Biles chats with her Team USA teammates. Danielle Parhizkaran-USA TODAY Sports

Pro-Biles tweets contained contents such as "I support Simone Biles," #supportsimone, "support Simone," or mental health awareness hashtags about Biles like #mentalhealthawareness. On the other hand, tweets such as "Simone Biles is a quitter," "Biles quit on her team," "#simonequit," and those referencing Biles with negative hashtags like #quitter contributed to the tally of states opposed to Biles' opt-out.

Overall, based on more than 130,000 tracked tweets, the betonline.ag team found that most states showed majority support for Biles. While 34 states registered as pro-Biles on Twitter, another 16 - most of which are located in the Midwest - expressed anti-Biles sentiment.

Check out the full map below:

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Betonline.ag's map depicting which US states support and oppose Simone Biles' decision to opt out of Olympics events. betonline.ag
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