PARIS (AP) — Laurie Hernandez pauses briefly and taps her head.
“There's a lot going on in here,” the two-time Olympic gymnastics medalist turned TV analyst said with a laugh. “There's a lot of chatter.”
Yes, there is.
And whatever gets through the filter — which, to be clear, is most of it — has helped make the 24-year-old's foray into commentating a hit with both TV viewers and those like Hernandez who are perennially online.
Eight years ago in Rio de Janeiro, she was the youngest member of the Simone Biles -led “Final Five” team that stormed to the gold medal. Hernandez added a silver on beam later in those Games, where her boundless energy helped make her a breakout star.
Not much has changed in Paris other than Hernandez's point of view.
There are nerves to be sure when she slips her headset on alongside broadcast partner Rich Lerner, just very different ones than the kind she experienced as an athlete.
Yet when she starts to talk, the affection she still feels for her sport well into her retirement is obvious. So is the wonder that creeps into her commentary when the camera happens to catch someone famous in the stands, as it did during the women's all-around finals when actor/comedian Seth Rogen popped up on the monitor in front of Hernandez's spot in the media tribune inside Bercy Arena.
“Of all the people you could cut to? Like, that’s so cool,” Hernandez said. “But, like, I just would not expect, like, Seth Rogen to go to gymnastics.”
Call that the “Biles effect." What's happening during the competition on screens — TVs, phone or otherwise — back in the U.S. might best be described as the “Hernandez effect.”
She mixes empathy, education and laughter with equal measure. She spent a decade inside a sport that at times can take far more than it gives. Those memories are never too far away, and they have help inform her approach.
“I don’t know many sports, you know, who are like, ‘Oh, I fear for my life every time I turn,’” Hernandez said.
And because of that, she's careful to note mistakes but not harp on them. It's gymnastics. Perfection is unattainable. So why place that level of expectation on athletes doing the hardest skills ever done?
Wobbles and falls are as much a part of the sport as leotards and chalk. They are inevitable. She prefers to explain how they happened so viewers who might only stumble across it once every four years understand.
The same goes for when routines are done exquisitely. Sometimes what the viewer sees and the judges see are different things and when the score flashes there's a “wait, what?” element involved.
Welcome to the world of what she's calling “ghost deductions.”
“To the naked eye, this looks like the most marvelous thing, and it is," she said. “But there are deductions that you cannot see at home that I can see or the judges can see, and it’s up to you to just listen to it or not.”
The gymnasts aren't the only ones being judged. Hernandez would love to tell you she buries her phone in her pocket and ignores whatever capital T “Thoughts” social media might have on her performance. She can't. She's Gen Z. At this point in her life, it's practically in her DNA. She's not afraid to clap back at critics if only to respectfully ask they simply not tag her in their posts so she can scroll in peace.
There will be times when something happens in front of her and some reference — be it from TikTok or elsewhere — will pop into her head and it transforms from thought to her microphone in a flash.
Is it “unprofessional” as she put it? Not really. It's her way of trying to stay as authentic as possible. When she gets nervous — and she does — she imagines she's sitting on a couch at a party.
“Everyone's got a glass of whatever you want and we all just happen to be like, besties hanging out,” Hernandez said. “And I just happen to know a lot about the thing that’s on TV.”
AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
FILE - United States gymnast Lauren Hernandez displays her silver medal for the balance beam during the artistic gymnastics women's apparatus final at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Aug. 15, 2016. Two-time Olympic medal-winning gymnast Laurie Hernandez's fresh approach to her new role as a TV analyst has made her a fan favorite. The 24-year-old who won gold and silver alongside Simone Biles in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro is working for the Peacock streaming service in Paris.(AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)
FILE - American gymnast Laurie Hernandez arrives at the world premiere of "Captain Marvel" on Monday, March 4, 2019, at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles. Two-time Olympic medal-winning gymnast Laurie Hernandez's fresh approach to her new role as a TV analyst has made her a fan favorite. The 24-year-old who won gold and silver alongside Simone Biles in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro is working for the Peacock streaming service in Paris. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Rams are off to their first 0-2 start to a season since before Les Snead became their general manager 12 years ago.
They're coming off their worst loss under coach Sean McVay, a 41-10 thrashing from an Arizona Cardinals team the Rams had thoroughly dominated in McVay's eight-year career.
The Rams' extensive injury problems already encompass their top two receivers, their entire offensive line and two key members of their secondary.
And now they're about to play their biggest rivals and toughest opponents in McVay's career: The powerhouse San Francisco 49ers visit SoFi Stadium on Sunday.
Outside of an injury to Matthew Stafford, who's fully healthy, it's tough to imagine a way in which the first two weeks could have gone a whole lot worse for McVay or the team he led to six winning records in his first seven seasons.
“This league, nobody cares,” McVay said. “I feel terrible for those (injured) guys, and we certainly care, but the outside world doesn’t, and the games are going to go on.”
The Rams have fallen apart just two weeks into a season that began with hopes of playoff contention, even without retired star Aaron Donald.
Instead, the Rams are struggling to field a competitive team after just two games. The whole scenario has strong echoes of the 2022 season, when McVay's team went 5-12 amid major injury woes in the worst season by a defending Super Bowl champion in NFL history.
Several of the Rams' most important players will watch Sunday's game in street clothes. The injured list now includes receivers Puka Nacua (knee) and Cooper Kupp (ankle); starting offensive linemen Steve Avila (knee), Jonah Jackson (shoulder) and Joseph Noteboom (ankle); and starting defensive backs Darious Williams (hamstring) and John Johnson (shoulder). Several other key contributors will be playing hurt, including starting offensive linemen Kevin Dotson and Rob Havenstein.
“We’ve had some unfortunate breaks,” McVay said drily. “It’s nothing like I’ve been exposed to. This is unique, but this is an opportunity for us to be what we say we want to be.”
The Rams addressed their defense in last spring's draft, and the earliest returns are promising. Snead used his top two picks on Florida State's Jared Verse and Braden Fiske, and both have been key contributors in the front seven. Verse is already a problem on the edge, with four tackles for loss, a sack and a forced fumble in his first two NFL games. Third-round safety Kam Kinchens could be up for more playing time in Johnson's absence as well.
The Rams rebuilt their offensive line in the offseason to be tough up the middle, protecting Stafford and keying their running game. With two of those interior O-line starters out and a third playing injured, that plan will have to be set aside indefinitely. No team can have a backup plan for as many injuries as the Rams are facing on the line, but their backup tackles have not been sharp. They'll count on rookie Beaux Limmer, who played every snap at center last weekend, to step up again in Jackson's absence.
Safety Quentin Lake has led the Rams in tackles in each of the first two games, although that's also a criticism of Los Angeles' poor play at the line of scrimmage, as McVay noted. The Rams have allowed 394 yards rushing already this season.
The Rams' decision to dump linebacker Ernest Jones right before the regular season for a minuscule 2026 late-round draft pick upgrade looks even weirder now that Troy Reeder and Christian Rozeboom are struggling to fill his shoes with much less ability and talent. McVay and Snead have yet to provide an explanation for why the Rams didn't just allow their leading tackler to play out his rookie contract for 2024, and Los Angeles' linebacker play has been noticeably bad.
On top of the new injuries for Kupp, Jackson and Johnson, Rams rookie kicker Joshua Karty injured his groin. McVay said that injury isn't thought to be serious.
32 — The Rams' NFL rank in total defense after allowing 426.0 yards per game this season. Everyone suspected the defense would need a complete reset after losing Donald and coordinator Raheem Morris, but rookie coordinator Chris Shula's group has been bad, even with marginally better injury luck than the offense.
The Rams will be significant underdogs against the Niners, who have won 10 of McVay's past 13 regular-season meetings with Kyle Shanahan. If they can avoid losing several more starters to injury, they'll have a chance to regroup against less daunting opponents in the following few weeks.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Tyler Johnson (18) runs against the Arizona Cardinals during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) throws in the pocket against the Arizona Cardinals during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Tutu Atwell (5) makes a catch against Arizona Cardinals safety Jalen Thompson (34) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) runs out of the pocket against the Los Angeles Rams during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams (23) scores a touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
