Olympics

I have been watching the winter Olympics these past two weeks, not every day, but most days. Sports can be a unifying force within America, and throughout the world, and the Olympics, despite the horrors of 1972, and the occasional political gesture by an athlete who chooses to use their temporary fame to make a point, is the perfect expression of men and women competing to win personal acclaim while honoring their country of birth. It is an attitude that belies those who believe that their country is the greatest ever, not because it is childish to think such thoughts, but because it is a shared belief that extends beyond arbitrary borders. 

I would even go so far as to say that pride in one's country is even more apparent among those athletes who, while successful in their own small world, have little chance of ending their event on the podium. They are Olympians even when they finish last, but still no less proud of their home country. It is a lesson that Americans often forget in our rush to celebrate gold, silver and bronze. 

Towards that point, over the course of the last two weeks, I witnessed a winter Olympic medal won for the first time for a few countries. Not first time this Olympic cycle, but first time, ever. Can there possibly be any more proud and moving an experience to be such an athlete who becomes the first of their countrymen to ever win an Olympic medal? Does it make that country any less exceptional to have achieved this initial feat, compared to a country like Norway which routinely wins the most medals at the winter Olympics?

Speaking of Norway, does their overall accomplishment in Milan -Cortina where they have won a total of 41 medals, which is about one for every 125,000 people, make them the greatest country of athletes in the world? As a comparison, America has won 33 medals, which is about one for every 10 million people. Don't get me wrong, I am extremely proud of the American athletes who won medals, but let's stop pretending that we are more proud of our accomplishments than people born outside our borders, or that we can come up with a bunch of statistics to prove we are the greatest country ever. Sometimes such bravado and constant need to proclaim excellence is more about insecurity than confidence.

But again, it was the athletes who set the tone that impressed me most. Athletes who celebrated the victories of their teammates as much as if it had been they who won. Athletes who comforted those who did not achieve a moment on the podium. Athletes who shared their success by acknowledging all those who helped them along the way. Athletes who smiled throughout their competitions and whose smile remained a fixture regardless of outcome.

One can only hope that for those athletes who did not perform as they expected, who fell short of their goal of Olympic Gold, the lesson of appreciation to have participated will allow them, should they be fortunate to find themselves in France in 2030, to be as honored just to be there as so many athletes who do not possess similar raw talent and the privilege of resources, have demonstrated these past two weeks.

While some might say that sports is the ultimate zero sum game as there are far more non-winners than winners, I maintain that true sportsmanship is better illustrated with the examples of hugs all around when the results are announced, or the handshake lineup that occurs after a hockey game when the winners and losers acknowledge the effort of each side.

It is a lesson completely lost on our current president, a person who is incapable of applauding the victor when the victor is not himself. Whether it be an election or a Supreme Court decision, he is incapable of congratulating the other side when he comes up short, instead resorting to exaggerations and outright lies to ease his damaged ego. He is the athlete that complains about the judging or who blames the sun in his eyes. The penultimate sore loser.

Fortunately, such behavior was mostly not in view during these winter Olympics, and that is certainly something to celebrate.

I was especially interested in the hockey competitions, both men and women. The fact that the United States won gold in both instances was certainly exhilarating, especially today's early morning overtime victory by the men's team. Perhaps it was a bit easier for me to cheer them on as it was obvious that the Canadian team was better. Not Miracle on Ice better, but certainly if not for our goaltender, the USA team would have lost 3 or 4 to 1. 

Is it not sweeter, then, to win in an upset than when favored? Truly, America was born from being the underdog, having bested the most powerful military in the world, at the time, to gain our independence. Perhaps it is too subtle for someone like Trump to understand, or for so many Americans for that matter, but there is always a bit of comeuppance that is wished for against the team, or country, that "holds all the cards", so to speak.

And, perhaps, that is the real issue for someone like Donald Trump. He believes that the powerful should always take advantage of the weak, if not, then what is the point of accumulating such power or influence or might? The fact that the United States has been a world power for 80 years, and that, for the most part, we used that advantage to attempt to improve everyone's lives, the global community, as it were, is translated by Trump into a belief that we were "taken advantage of". Only someone who believes that there is only one winner in an transaction thinks that way, and that is the essence of his thinking. 

And so it is no surprise when portions of the world begin to turn their back on us. To enact their own Make (fill in the country) Great Again policies. To stop caring about our neighbors, or even our planet, since the country with the most is being led by someone without empathy. Who in fact believes such thinking weak, and woke. Who would be the kind of athlete who looks with disdain at all those who they defeated, rather than as comrades who competed together, who helped make each other better for that competition, and who celebrate the effort knowing that the roles may be reversed next time.

What is truly sad, is that most people will agree with me about athletes who are humble and gracious in victory while disliking those who behave like spoiled children when a competition does not end as they hoped, yet still support a president who exhibits all the bad traits of that very same, selfish athlete who expresses their disappointment with a hissy fit, or an excuse, or both.