Thoughts on the Olympics
Well, here we are – the Olympics are upon us. There is no bigger a time in sports, as we find ourselves lucky enough to view excellence over and over again. These next two weeks will feature the best – not only our best, but the best our entire world has to offer. As a proud American, I’m pulling for the U.S. athletes as much as I can. That’s not to say I’m rooting against the other countries, but, frankly, I want our men and women to win everything.
I was thrilled to see our Women’s Soccer Team start things off with that thrilling comeback over the French Team on Friday. Down 2 – 0 early, our ladies stormed back with a vengeance – putting four goals up the rest of the match for a thrilling victory. The resilience displayed not only showed what our women were made of, it served as a magnificent exemplification of the resolve and character of our entire Olympic team. And speaking of our women, our Olympic Team–530 members strong–featured more women, 269, than men, 261. What a remarkable milestone we have reached in our country, made even more special when noted that this is the 40th anniversary of Title IX. I’m overjoyed to see the astounding growth of Women’s sports in this country; this is an accomplishment that makes me extremely proud to be an American.
As we enter our 4th day of competition, I’d like to congratulate all the winners and wish best of the luck to those yet to compete. I’m looking forward to more of the swimming, which I’ve been a fan of since back in the days of Mark Spitz’s triumphs. I’m excited to watch the track events – not just the races, but the field events of shot-put, discus, and such as well. Finally, I’d like to wish our Women’s Gymnastics Team best of luck tonight. I’ve become a huge fan of the gymnastics because I am a fan of excellence. Any time somebody questions my liking of a particular sport, my response is always the same. I am a fan of hard work, of greatness. These gymnasts possess unbelievable work ethic, honing their craft day after day, hour after hour. The strength–both mental and physical–needed to reach this elite level in gymnastics is uniquely astounding. As an athlete who has experienced a great level of mental and physical punishment, I have a deep respect and admiration for these gymnasts, and for all athletes who have reached new heights on this world stage. As the first few days have shown, this will be an incredible two weeks of competition. Check back here for more of my takes on the Olympics over this span.
- Joe
