Gabby Douglas coming to Spelman?
AP photo
Could Olympic golden girl Gabby Douglas come to Atlanta for college?
We’re working on finding out more after TMZ posted a short item saying Spelman College made sure Douglas received a bag of congratulatory gear from the school following her triumphs in London.
A number of celebrities, including some with Atlanta connections, are among the throngs offering their well wishes via Twitter.
“Dreams do come true, Gabby!!! Congrats ‘All Around’” tweeted actress Raven-Symone while actress Gabrielle Union, who will be spending time here working on a new BET show “Being Mary Jane” tweeted, “GOLDEN GIRL!!! I’m in awe.”
“Vampire Diaries” actress Nina Dobrev upped the ante, tweeting, “I hear you’ll be coming to Atlanta soon 
I promise to personally show you around the set if you show me your gold metal!”
Added her “Vampire Diaries” co-shar Ian Somerhalder: “We’d like to congratulate you and the U.S. Women’s team on your gold medal! Go Team USA! Love, Ian.”
She’s also gotten Twitter love from President Barack Obama, Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber and Oprah Winfrey.
The gymnastics star is having a big time at the 2012 Games.
“I met Kate, the duchess, that was a cool experience for me,” she said during a press conference, the AP reported. “I’ve always wanted to inspire people, and the thing about the Olympics, this quote ‘inspire a generation’ – so, you know, I can check that off my bucket list.”
And this AP story reported that she “is the most clicked-upon athlete on NBC’s Olympics website,” and noted that “through Sunday, her profile on the site had more than 18 million page views. That’s far above the second-ranked athlete, swimmer Michael Phelps, whose profile had just over 7 million page views.”
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202 comments Add your comment
Quagmire
August 9th, 2012
12:25 pm
Spelman is a great school that will be very supportative of Gabby and other young ladies like her.
@Mdbrown99 – for the record, Oprah went to TSU(Tennessee State University), I know because I went there…………………..
Who Cares
August 9th, 2012
12:27 pm
I was at the Applebees in Dunwoody about a week ago when the gymnastic events were going on. Everytime Gabby did something all the Blacks in the place were screaming like she was the next coming. When one of the other girls from the USA did anything it was total silence from them. Tell me that is not racist.
Who Cares
August 9th, 2012
12:28 pm
All of you are wrong. Spellman has 2 “L”.
Sayitaintso
August 9th, 2012
12:29 pm
I would assume that the Kellog endorsement alone would take care of all her future educational expenses. Regardless, she’s a bright light for the ole USA.
Rodney_from_the_grave
August 9th, 2012
12:29 pm
Can’t we all just get along? —- Going back to enjoy my brownie….
From the grave,
Rodney
Ed Willis
August 9th, 2012
12:32 pm
To GO_Spelman_Jaguars, In the event she does go to Spelman, I hope that she is issued a bullet proof vest, Spelman, Georgia Tech, Georgia State, Clark Atlanta. Any of these would be last place I allowed my child to attend. Every week a mugging, shooting, robbery, or a home invasion.
Proud Spelman Alum
August 9th, 2012
12:32 pm
For the record, the President of Spelman College did not travel to the Olympics to hand deliver a gift bag to Gabby. It was Spelman alumna and Coca-Cola executive Helen Smith Price, C’79 that gave her the bag. She was representing her alma mater. For all we know, there could have been many other athletes there that got the same bag. So what if Gabby wants to go to Spelman, she WILL get a good education no matter what! The CEO of Sams Club (Rosalind G. Brewer) did. Lashawnda Holmes, the first African American Coast Guard Helicopter Pilot, attended Spelman. Tanya Walton Pratt, United District Court Judge appointed by President Barack Obama attended Spelman. So what type of education do you think she will get??? A good one. I know plenty of people who went to other schools more popular or considered more prestigious than Spelman that haven’t nearly accomplished what most Spelman Alums have. Either way at the end of the day, whatever school she chooses, if she chooses to continue her education once she retires from gymnastics, I am still behind her and will still support her, because she achieved something that no one else thought she would. I wish her well and I really hope to see her one or two more times in 2016 (and maybe even 2020)!
M
August 9th, 2012
12:32 pm
As a recent Morehouse grad, all I can say is, “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!”
I hope she goes to a school with a great gymnastics program and many other things to offer her. Don’t go to a school just because it seems like the right (and/or “black”) thing to do.
ok
August 9th, 2012
12:32 pm
Couldn’t see her attending a college with no gymnastics program but who knows. Spelman is a fine institution but to the poster who says black students are being used by “white schools” they don’t have to go there. The students are receiving an education from an university in which they likely would not have had the means to pay for otherwise. So for the students that take their education seriously they benefit from the deal as well. Congrats to Ms. Douglas and good luck in all of her future endeavors.
Proud Spelman Alum
August 9th, 2012
12:34 pm
One could ask M, Mr. Recent Morehouse Grad, what did MOREHOUSE offer you if that’s what you think of your neighboring school? SMH.
Sayitaintso
August 9th, 2012
12:34 pm
@ Who Cares, Gabby won the ALL AROUND, and it is the most coveted for female gymnasts.
Get a clue please
August 9th, 2012
12:36 pm
As a recent Spelman Alumn I truly appreciate many of the comments of those in support of Spelman. Other’s of you really do not understand what Spelman really is about or stands for which explains many of your uninformed comments.
As some have mentioned, Spelman is a school in which you grow and prosper as a black woman who is literally prepared to take on the world. It is unfortunate that many of you are so ignorant that you do not even try to research a place or thing before you speak about it.
No, Spelman does not have a gymnastics team but according to NCAA rules you can not be signed to professional contracts or endorsements if you plan to participate in a sport at the collegiate level. All things being said, why wouldn’t Gabby Douglas want to be a part of the legacy from the #1 HBCU in the country? Why wouldn’t she want to be a part of a place that prepares intelligent, young, black women for all that the world may bring?
Please get a clue before you open your mouths and say foolish things.
Sayitaintso
August 9th, 2012
12:46 pm
@PSA~ if I may add to your list of Spelman’s alums, my high school sweetheart now MD (UNC), my cousin now attorney ( Georgetown), my niece now grad student (UGA).
karin
August 9th, 2012
12:46 pm
Gabby Douglas is definitely considered “pro”. The only amateur on the USA gymnastics team was Kyla Ross.
Arod
August 9th, 2012
12:50 pm
I have decided to take my talents to South Beach
sign
Gabby
M
August 9th, 2012
12:56 pm
@ PSA – I never Spelman was a good/bad school, my whole point was why limit herself to HBCUs? With the endorsement deals she’s about to encounter, she’s going to have access to a lot of schools that she might not otherwise have even considered.
@ ‘Get a Clue’ – You made some very valid points, but since she’s an accomplished olympic athlete, hasn’t she already experienced what it’s like to “take on the world” as a black woman?
BigB
August 9th, 2012
12:57 pm
She cannot compete on any college’s gymnastics’ team!!! Spelman is spelled with ONE “L”!!! Spelman is a GREAT College!!! That is all.
JB
August 9th, 2012
1:00 pm
Please!!!! Give me a break. Spelman would be a wonderful college for Gabby to attend. She has already proven herself with her ability in the Olympic ,now let her make the decision concerning the university she plan on attending.
GO_Spelman_Jaguars
August 9th, 2012
1:01 pm
@Ed Willis please help identify for me, one institution of higher learning that does not have issues? UGA, she gets drunk and potentially raped, Penn State, molested, Harvard, introduces to pure cocaine, Stanford, incubator for marijuana. US military academies raped or who know what?
Please help me understand where safest place is for her may exist..
Who Cares about Who Cares
August 9th, 2012
1:04 pm
And I bet you hated EVERY MINUTE OF IT TOO.
Too Much
August 9th, 2012
1:08 pm
Why are they recruiting her exactly, besides the color of her skin? They have no athletic program to speak of, and without knowing her academic record, what business does that president have in recruiting a 16-year-old girl? Shameless ploy to garner attention from a young girl in order to have her university recruit someone famous.
Janine
August 9th, 2012
1:11 pm
Hate how even a joyous thing like going to college becomes a racist rant… anyway maybe people here in Atlanta don’t realize what an honor it is to attend Spelman College. Women from all over the WORLD would love that opportunity. No, they don’t have a gymnastics team but by accepting the endorsement she is ineligible by NCAA. There are great gyms around for her to train in the metro area. We, as women, are proud of you Gabby. Your hard work and family sacrifice have paid off. Go to Spelman if you chose! Wherever you go you will be great!
Overton
August 9th, 2012
1:13 pm
Gabby, go somewhere ELSE and not Hel*man. Get it while you can.
TheDuchess
August 9th, 2012
1:15 pm
I can’t help but laugh at the comments. I wish AJC would CLOSE them.
KimZ'sPackage
August 9th, 2012
1:16 pm
She would be S.T.U.P.I.D. to go to Spelman if she wants to do gymnastics in college and make the 2016 Olympics in RIO. If she is done with gymnastics then go to Spelmen, but I am sure she is looking at RIO. Spelman has NOTHING to OFFER a World Class athlete.
jesse
August 9th, 2012
1:16 pm
GOOD LUCK GABBY.SPELMAN IS A GOOD SCHOOL GOOD LUCK KEEP GOD FRIST B BLESS
Janine
August 9th, 2012
1:17 pm
and as a point… I was a college Registrar and Director of Admissions for almost 20 years in schools both big and small – ALL COLLEGES RECRUIT! THEY HAVE FULL TIME RECRUITERS ON STAFF TO DO WHAT???? RECRUIT!!! How many of you have ever had an admissions officer visit your school, or have gone to a college fair? That is RECRUITING! President of Spelman is wise to recruit her. On average, most gymnasts have very high GPAs due to the amount of discipline required by their sport.
Mike
August 9th, 2012
1:20 pm
oh yes… going to college in West End…what a joy…
Hmmmmmmm
August 9th, 2012
1:20 pm
and why would she even consider Spelman….. Terrible academic choice… If she is smart, she will go to a credible school…
Light Skin
August 9th, 2012
1:21 pm
What no mention of her hair? Good to Spelman if you wish, but never leave the campus. They should move Spelman. Why does the Black experience always have to involve the GHETTO!
KimZ'sPackage
August 9th, 2012
1:22 pm
She will probably stay in Utah to go to college and keep training with the same Team US coach. She is 16 will be 20 in RIO.
Reggie
August 9th, 2012
1:23 pm
You Ignorant racist are amazing. She will not be competing in college. Spelman would be a excellent school for her if that is the college SHE chooses. This is about developing this talented and bright young woman. Again Spelman would be excellent for that.
tim
August 9th, 2012
1:26 pm
I can’t help it if Spellman can’t pay it’s bills or they lay off staff.
Notre Dame
And i don’t want your future prisoner 1st born.
HomeBoy
August 9th, 2012
1:26 pm
Why not write about an Olympian who does live here…. Chaunte Lowe.
HomeBoy
August 9th, 2012
1:28 pm
Why not write about an Olympian who does live here…… Chaunte Lowe.
Hmmmmmmm
August 9th, 2012
1:29 pm
and then there was Reggie….
So I am a racist for having an opinion… Good grief… Spelman is NOT even in the top 50…. Just get some help Reggie… Spelman would be a waste of her time and money!
Light Skin
August 9th, 2012
1:30 pm
What this blog is not about her hair?
G
August 9th, 2012
1:30 pm
Written by Who Cares , August 9th, 2012 @ 12:27 pm
I was at the Applebees in Dunwoody about a week ago when the gymnastic events were going on. Everytime Gabby did something all the Blacks in the place were screaming like she was the next coming. When one of the other girls from the USA did anything it was total silence from them. Tell me that is not racist.
First of all, you need to be crystal clear on what the term “racism” means. Apparently, you do not! In your little story above, you made no reference that the “Blacks” said anything discriminatory, degrading, or racially incisitive about the other gymnist. Just because they celebrated Gabby more than the others, does not mean they were hateful or oppressive to the other gymnist on the team.
If you dig a little deeper, you would learn that Black Americans cannot be racist in this country…..maybe biggoted or pedjudiced, but not racist. All of the aforementioned is UGLY, but there IS a difference. The more you learn…………..the more you KNOW.
National Championships keep coming
August 9th, 2012
1:31 pm
Yeah right…if this girl doesn’t cash in and is still gymastics eligible in college, she’ll wind up at a real school, with a real tradition of great gymnastics…UGA. We’ll see her and Misty Franklin in Athens competing for UGA gymnasts and swimmers.
KimZ'sPackage
August 9th, 2012
1:33 pm
GO_Spelman_Jaguars
August 9th, 2012
11:23 am
You might not have misspelled words but you did use the WRONG words and you grammar and punctuation sucks.
Light Skin
August 9th, 2012
1:35 pm
and you gammar and punctuations sucks. Not an English teacher.
what the ?
August 9th, 2012
1:35 pm
Yeah right, she’ll be going to a real school and compete for a real team, if she doesn’t cash in and keeps her eligibility. And that school with national championship, traditional gymnastics team is UGA.
And Missy Franklin will be swimming for the national champion UGA swim team!
Hmmmmmmm
August 9th, 2012
1:35 pm
@light Skin
LOL
?
August 9th, 2012
1:36 pm
?
Sheila
August 9th, 2012
1:36 pm
Gabby Douglas would be a great asset to any college she chooses to attend. Thank you Gabby for inspiring young girls all over the world. I have four granddaughters and they were so excited to see someone who resembles them win the gold. Gabby get your blessing.
?
August 9th, 2012
1:39 pm
go to a real school….it’s not in atlanta
Jonathan
August 9th, 2012
1:43 pm
This would be great for black colleges, we have to to getting our best and brightest, I hope she attends!
Jonathan
August 9th, 2012
1:44 pm
This would be great for black colleges, we have to start getting our best and brightest, I hope she attends!
KimZ'sPackage
August 9th, 2012
1:46 pm
Going to ANY College that doesn’t have a quality coach is not an option. I am Sure she is looking to be the US Team leader in RIO. Gabby will train for her 2 years as a high school age girl then 2 more years to be ready for RIO. College can wait.
JESUS" GYRL
August 9th, 2012
1:52 pm
HBCU or not, Gabby keep your options open!