The Elite Eight are finally locked in! Yes, the regional battles are done and dusted now. Know what that means? The next stop is straight up Fort Worth for the NCAA finals. Naturally, there is an air of anticipation and excitement among gymnastics fans. Especially the Gators’ squad, as they sail to their 41st NCAA Championship. But this very excitement nearly landed a gymnastics commentator in hot water. She narrowly escaped a nasty situation after a major hiccup on Sunday. Keen to know what exactly happened?
Well, it takes a team to win. And for the Florida Gators, the NCAA Tuscaloosa Regionals at the Coleman Coliseum this Sunday were no exception. They battled it out with Alabama, California, and Oregon State for a finals spot, with the day starting with the Gators taking up the solid bars. Among the first three to go up was Skye Blakely, one of the Gator’s star gymnasts. She pulled off something so incredible that her entire team and the fans let out their emotions with a loud roar. She did too by ecstatically jumping on the mat. But the commentator? Well, their expression could have landed them in some probable trouble.
Trinity Thomas, a former Gator herself, recently joined ESPN as a collegiate gymnastics commentator in February 2025. Yes, she’s a little over a month old in the business. But her experience on the mat? Oh boy, she has quite a storied resume. But this Sunday, while she was serving as the commentator for the NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional, Skye Blakely’s incredible 9.925 bars routine had her mistakenly letting out, “Oh s—, that was so good!” Yes, this was over a live broadcast. The second Blakely landed on the mat, Thomas accidentally let out the line.
Now for NCAA gymnastics commentators, the broadcasting network they work for may or may not take action in such cases. That will depend on their internal rules and regulations. Even the NCAA does not directly impose fines on gymnastics commentators. However, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) enforces regulations prohibiting the broadcast of indecent language, or at least adhering to professional standards. And violations can result in fines. For example, as per the Broadcast Decency Enforcement Act of 2005, the maximum fine was increased to $325,000 per violation.
Well, we have seen quite a few problems arise in this NCAA season itself. Like when legendary commentator Kathy Johnson Clarke got replaced with Anastasia Webb and Samantha Beszerk, fans gave out some disappointing reviews of the NCAA gymnastics commentary. The awkward phrases, over-scoring, everything was pointed out by fans, In fact, one of them even gave an anecdote, “It’s like watching a magic show and the magician refuses to acknowledge that the rabbit is clearly just chilling in his jacket pocket.”
So yes, that has been happening in the NCAA gymnastics scene. But just as enthusiastic gymnastics fans, do you know when an Olympic commentator clapped back at fans who criticized her commentary?
A gymnastics veteran once clapped back at the naysayers
Not long ago, in 2024, it was Laurie Hernandez who was commentating for the U.S. women’s gymnastics team final at Bercy Arena, Paris. That’s when she decided to call out the ‘unkind’ backlash she received from some for that. She provided commentary for NBC, Peacock’s Paris Olympic coverage, after which she posted online, “Had such a blast commentating the competition tonight.”
But thereafter, she did not keep quiet. Laurie also wrote, “Also- everyone is entitled to their own opinion (obviously), but if the opinion is related to me and is unkind, please don’t tag me in it (contrary to popular belief, I do see it)” Want to know what happened? Well, during the broadcast, after Jordan Chiles toppled off the beam, Laurie said, “When one gymnast falls, falls tend to follow with gymnastics that come after.” She even said that this is why it’s important for Suni Lee to hit her routine.
That’s when critics online called her “so negative” and “such a hater.” What do you think of both these scenarios? Let us know below!
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