This has been a fun week with the Olympics. I don’t know about you, but I LOVE watching the athletes, learning about their stories and see the joy of winning, reaching records or personal milestones. I appreciate how much work and effort they have put in to get to this stage and enjoy the opportunity to watch them compete.
That work and effort for years and years has often come at a price for them. Sacrificing time, events with friends and family as well as the toll that it takes on their physical and mental wellbeing. That became increasingly evident this week.
Let’s be honest as fans we can know the rules of the game or sport, understand some of the nuances and know the stats of our favorite athlete like the back of our hand. It makes the game or sporting event even more fun to watch if we understand how it is unfolding. The key difference is while we may know the rules, stats and nuances we really don’t know what those athletes are going through.
Some of us may have competed in those sports to lower levels or through the school ranks but to be at the point of competing for Olympic medals and glory, be honest only a select group of people know what that is like. To push every day for years and years when no one is watching. To watch kids your age go to parties, school events and trips while you are running the same skills over and over again in the gym or pool, all for the opportunity to just get a shot to go to the Olympic games. No, only a select group have been that strong and that driven to get themselves in a position to get that shot.
So, my question is why if we don’t know what an athlete has really been through and have never walked in their shoes at the 6 am workouts do we question them if things don’t go right? If we don’t really know how much effort, grit, and determination that they have put in every single day, do we think we can question their effort?
Hate to break it to you but we don’t. If anything, the picture is reversed, they don’t owe us anything if there is any owing it is us who owe them. We get to enjoy the fruits of their labor by watching some amazing games and fantastic athletic efforts. They put in all the time, effort, determination and grit and we get the entertainment of watching them perform.
Yes, sometimes it doesn’t go as we want like this week but step back and look at the bigger picture. The leadership it took to realize if I am not at my best, I might hurt the team and I don’t want to do that. The bravery it took to not only come back out on the floor and cheer and assist your teammates but to go and cheer on the men’s team for their events but teammates for the all-around, knowing the eyes of the world would be on you.
Yes of course I am talking about Simone, but this thought goes past her to all the athletes putting in the work to have their shot at glory. Simone, I applaud you for standing up not only for yourself but for your teammates. For having the strength to recognize what the best scenario would be even though it meant your shot at these games would not be there. You scripted the future not only for your teammates in this competition but for what this same situation might look like in the future. I thank you for the years of killer gymnastics to watch, you are the G.O.A.T. Shine Bright and Much Love!!
-JMAXX