74-yr-old Dr. Fauci treating Ebola patients in 2015 exemplifies his genuine leadership

Nearly a decade after the average American retires from their careers and choose to live a more leisurely life, Dr. Anthony Fauci was battling a deadly disease outbreak. And he wasn't just acting as the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (which was his actual job), or sitting at a desk crunching numbers and making models. He was suiting up to treat an a patient with Ebola—a disease with a mortality rate of around 50%—for two hours a day, even though he didn't have to.
Why did he do it? Because he wanted to show his staff that he wouldn't ask them to do anything he wasn't willing to do himself. He also told Science, "I do believe that one gets unique insights into disease when you actually physically interact with patients."
That is what genuine, trusted leadership looks like, and is one of hundreds of examples of why Dr. Fauci has been one of the most well-respected experts in infectious disease in the world for decades.
Dr. Fauci has served the United States under six presidents, from Ronald Reagan to Donald Trump. In 2008, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W. Bush for his work on the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
In his remarks praising Dr. Fauci, Bush pointed out that Fauci still quoted the wisdom he received at the Jesuit high school he attended (where he had won a full scholarship)—"Precision of thought, economy of expression," then added, "And now you know why he never ran for public office."
Dr. Anthony Fauci Receives The Presidential Medal Of Freedomwww.youtube.com
It was a joke, but that statement basically sums up Dr. Fauci's career. Meticulous attention to the science. Saying what needs to be said, nothing more and nothing less. And always rising above the partisan political fray. Dr. Fauci has faithfully served under both Republicans and Democrats, earning a reputation on the international stage for his professionalism and expertise.
Anyone trying to discredit the 79-year-old scientist has literally decades of highly respected work to contend with, no matter what kinds of inconsistencies they claim to have gotten from Dr. Fauci. Information during a novel virus outbreak is naturally going to change frequently, as doctors and scientists have to learn about what the virus is and isn't, what works on it and what doesn't, how it spreads and how we might limit the spread, in real time. That kind of uncertainty—which is the nature of a novel virus pandemic—opens the door to silly political accusations of "flip flopping" from people who either don't understand how science works or who want to use people's ignorance for their own gain. And Dr. Fauci has always been clear that information is evolving and that no one is an expert in this particular virus, because it's brand new.
No human being is perfect, of course, but there are certain individuals at the top of every field whose work speaks for itself, who maintain a level of integrity that is beyond reproach, and who manage to avoid the pitfalls of politics. People who have worked with Dr. Fauci have shared their experiences with him, and it's hard to find one from a non-political source that isn't glowing in its assessment.
The Lincoln Project, a Republican group working to oust Trump from the White House in November, even shared an ad that shows how Dr. Fauci's reputation has been stellar for decades.
We've become so accustomed to attacks on people in politics that it almost seems normal, but there's nothing normal about attempts to discredit a lifelong public servant and medical expert like Dr. Fauci. Unless you've voluntarily donned a hazmat suit to treat a patient with a disease that has a high likelihood of killing you, and unless you have decades of experience in infectious disease research, you've got no room to criticize Dr. Fauci or his work. The gentleman is as close to above reproach as they come, and we need his precision of thought and honest truth-telling now more than ever.
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Resurfaced video of French skier's groin incident has people giving the announcer a gold medal
"The boys took a beating on that one."
Downhill skiing is a sport rife with injuries, but not usually this kind.
A good commentator can make all the difference when watching sports, even when an event goes smoothly. But it's when something goes wrong that great announcers rise to the top. There's no better example of a great announcer in a surprise moment than when French skier Yannick Bertrand took a gate to the groin in a 2007 super-G race.
Competitive skiers fly down runs at incredible speeds, often exceeding 60 mph. Hitting something hard at that speed would definitely hurt, but hitting something hard with a particularly sensitive part of your body would be excruciating. So when Bertrand slammed right into a gate family-jewels-first, his high-pitched scream was unsurprising. What was surprising was the perfect commentary that immediately followed.
This is a clip you really just have to see and hear to fully appreciate:
- YouTube youtu.be
It's unclear who the announcer is, even after multiple Google inquiries, which is unfortunate because that gentleman deserves a medal. The commentary gets better with each repeated viewing, with highlights like:
"The gate the groin for Yannick Bertrand, and you could hear it. And if you're a man, you could feel it."
"Oh, the Frenchman. Oh-ho, monsieurrrrrr."
"The boys took a beating on that one."
"That guy needs a hug."
"Those are the moments that change your life if you're a man, I tell you what."
"When you crash through a gate, when you do it at high rate of speed, it's gonna hurt and it's going to leave a mark in most cases. And in this particular case, not the area where you want to leave a mark."
Imagine watching a man take a hit to the privates at 60 mph and having to make impromptu commentary straddling the line between professionalism and acknowledging the universal reality of what just happened. There are certain things you can't say on network television that you might feel compelled to say. There's a visceral element to this scenario that could easily be taken too far in the commentary, and the inherent humor element could be seen as insensitive and offensive if not handled just right.
The announcer nailed it. 10/10. No notes.
The clip frequently resurfaces during the Winter Olympic Games, though the incident didn't happen during an Olympic event. Yannick Bertrand was competing at the FIS World Cup super-G race in Kvitfjell, Norway in 2007, when the unfortunate accident occurred. Bertrand had competed at the Turin Olympics the year before, however, coming in 24th in the downhill and super-G events.
As painful as the gate to the groin clearly as, Bertrand did not appear to suffer any damage that kept him from the sport. In fact, he continued competing in international downhill and super-G races until 2014.
According to a 2018 study, Alpine skiing is a notoriously dangerous sport with a reported injury rate of 36.7 per 100 World Cup athletes per season. Of course, it's the knees and not the coin purse that are the most common casualty of ski racing, which we saw clearly in U.S. skier Lindsey Vonn's harrowing experiences at the 2026 Olympics. Vonn was competing with a torn ACL and ended up being helicoptered off of the mountain after an ugly crash that did additional damage to her legs, requiring multiple surgeries (though what caused the crash was reportedly unrelated to her ACL tear). Still, she says she has no regrets.
As Bertrand's return to the slopes shows, the risk of injury doesn't stop those who live for the thrill of victory, even when the agony of defeat hits them right in the rocks.