Stigmatized Olympian: Shooter Faces Death Threats, Unfair Bias

Shooting is a competitive sport. I know it’s hard for people who see guns as tools exclusively used for crime and murder to accept this, but competitive shooting has a long, rich history. Shooting is even showcased in the Olympics; however, cultural attitudes toward firearms have shouldered these world class Olympians with a stigma.

Kim Rhode is on the cusp of Olympic history. If she is able to a medal in Rio this summer she will become the first American to medal in six Olympics. To put that in perspective, that’s 3 more times than famed swimmer Michael Phelps. But Rhodes doesn’t swim or figure skate, so she will not be on any cereal boxes. Kim Rhodes shoots a shotgun.

Far from being celebrated as an American icon, Rhode finds herself the target of threats, harassment, and unfair media bias.

The Wall Street Journal reports:

At the London Games, which started days after a mass shooting at a movie theater in Colorado, Rhode and other Team USA shooters received anonymous online death threats, requiring additional security.

“Our sport has an unfortunate stigma attached to it,” says Rhode, a 36-year-old Southern Californian. Following December’s deadly shooting rampage in nearby San Bernardino, the media sought out comment from Rhode, who expressed sorrow for the victims and support for gun rights. Why should that crime have placed her in the spotlight? she asks: “You don’t hear them asking Nascar drivers to comment on crimes involving cars.”

Which is not to say Rhode is not appreciated by American gun enthusiasts.

The very thing that makes shooting the most controversial Olympic sport—its use of guns—also provides a strong base of support. When Rhode visits Cabela’s, the outdoors sporting-goods retailer, mobs of fans seek her autograph. Along with Winchester, Beretta and several other firearms-related concerns, Cabela’s sponsors Rhode. “Compared with other sports, we have a massive industry behind us,” says Rhode, a wife and mother who says she’s the “primary breadwinner.”

Rhode should be a household name. She is a world class competitor and a strong female role model. But because there are guns associated with her skills, she will continue to face unfair criticisms and bias, even as she prepares to make history in Rio.