Going for the Real Gold
My olympic aspirations for humanity.
I get excited every time the Olympic Games roll around. Before now, I haven’t given this much thought beyond a desire to see the athletes, competitions, and opening ceremonies. But this year, I realize there's more to it than that.
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Sure, there are scandals, controversies, abuses, performance-enhancing drugs, and under-the-table dealings that draw out the worst in some. I'll leave those discussions for the experts and lawyers and, instead, shine a light on the positives.
First recorded in 776 B.C (and starting nearly 500 years before that), the Olympic Games give us reason to swoon over the athletic crème de la crème and unlock visibility into the world's diversity. What other public platform does this at scale and puts forth the multi-colored stripes our global community has to offer?
Just imagine what the human race would be capable of if we rallied like this around universal problems, such as, the changing climate and putting an end to this pandemic. SPOILER ALERT: This may first require squashing the conspiracy theories threatening to tear us apart.
The world can be a scary place. But there’s still some good. And these Olympic Games gave us a glimpse into what healthy competition and solid sportsmanship can look like.
The 2020 Olympic Games (which occurred in 2021 in case you're still confused) revealed athletes from many backgrounds demonstrating what I'm talking about. From fist bumps for competitors who finished their routines in the gymnasium, to those two high jumpers who decided to share a gold metal instead of edging each other out, healthy competition requires respecting, and sometimes embracing your foe.
I probably watched more of the 2020 Olympic Games than any other year. This is largely due to being in a convenient time zone, having access to the full menu of live-streamed events, and having a flexible job that enabled me to (yet another reason to become a writer in case you missed my previous post). In addition to my usual go-to events, like gymnastics, soccer/football, diving, swimming, and beach volleyball, I added water polo to the list - my latest greatest obsession!
As always, I was sad to see the Olympic Games come to an end. For me, losing that sense of collective focus I get to share with the world, feels like my hope for humanity getting wrestled away. But then I think, while the torch may be extinguished, does my faith in us doing better for one another have to be as well?
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