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The 2012 Summer Olympics begin today, and I’m a fan. My wife attended Olympic games in Seoul, Barcelona, and we both attended the 1996 games in Atlanta.
Four years ago I enjoyed watching the 2008 Olympics and blogged about some of my observations. Watching the previews for this year’s Summer Olympics recalls a few of them.
These Summer Olympics will be exciting and inspiring, I’m sure. However, with so much emphasis on winning medals, I still feel the media too often say “We love you if you win a medal (especially a gold one, for our country), otherwise we’re barely interested in you!”
Hold on, the Summer Olympics aren’t primarily about winning medals, are they? Is winning one the main thing? The only thing?
I think it’s far more significant to be in the arena at all — win, place, show, or anything else. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great honor to compete as an Olympian. But that frenzy about national medal totals. Doesn’t it distract from the Olympic Movement’s ideal of “excelling”?
According to the official Olympic Charter, The Olympic Games are competitions between athletes in individual or team events and not between countries.
The mission of the International Olympic Committee also includes “upholding ethics in sports, encouraging participation in sports, ensuring the Olympic Games take place on a regular schedule, protecting the Olympic Movement, and encouraging and supporting the development of sport.” This is a broad mandate, with no mention of medals.
All these athletes are the world’s champions, and at that lofty level, each one has to be totally focused on their sport. I’m not one of those athletes, so I can’t really know how they feel or exactly what they aim for. However, in my heart I hope everyone will be striving for the love of excelling at their sport — maybe to come in first place, maybe not, but always to do their best possible job.
This reminds me of playing wedding and party music. No one gives a gold medal for helping people enjoy their celebrations, but this is exactly what we aim for. In my opinion, we’ve become champions at entertaining people and helping them have a good time.
We’ve spent years honing our skills, learning how to make parties succeed, and like those Olympic athletes, we strive for our very best at every party.
Is there a Summer Olympics for YOU? What are you a champion at?
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The Magnolia Jazz Band entertains at weddings and parties throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. If you are nearby, you’ll love catching us in action, seeing and hearing us create a great mood. In the meantime, please join our Magnolia Jazz Band fans on Facebook to receive daily tips for planning wedding and party music and to receive reminders for our public events.
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Meanwhile, the Magnolia Jazz Band entertains at weddings and parties throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. If you are ever nearby, you’ll love catching us in action, seeing and hearing us create a great mood.
How can I help you? Call 408-245-9120 or use Robbie@MagnoliaJazz.com. Planning a celebration? Ask about our availability.
Robbie – with you all the way on the need to participate and give it your best shot. It’s wonderful to be a winner, but if you’re not, it doesn’t mean you’ve failed. And coincidentally, that’s exactly what the poem in my post today – “Colors Flying” – is trying to say. The blog challenge has been an example of what you can gain by just participating to the full.
Thanks, Alan. Enjoyed your blog today, especially your perspective on the Summer Olympics opening ceremony. What a spectacle that was! Thousands participated and shared the honor of working hard to create a memorable showcase. Same as the UBC, though on a far grander scale. However, in both cases, everyone who participates at his best is a winner.
I’m WAY over how the media treats people, especially the athletes. When someone wins they run up and shove a microphone in their face and start asking how they feel. They feel tired, that’s how they feel. They are practically hyperventilating, can’t catch their breath, and you are ruining the moment that they have to be proud of accomplishing their life-long dream. Then they ignore everyone else, like you said.
I haven’t really been watching the summer Olympics. I’m busy with my new business program and editing my book for its launch next month. I would have liked to remember to do a blog post to tie in to the subject, but I doubt I’ll even get to it.
Thanks, Amethyst, Congratulations on your new program and book!
About TV’s Olympic coverage, I agreed — they claim to serve the public’s appetite for news, but they dish out groundless rumor, tasteless gossip, and sleaze whenever possible! Do you think the quest for ratings has made the media, particularly TV broadcasting, imitate the worst in “tabloid journalism”. I hope we’re not becoming a nation of cynical voyeurs.
Hi Robbie,
I am probably the worst fan because I support them all! I think they all deserve medals just for qualifying!
It is pretty unfortunate that even the Olympics are so media heavy that it’s all about whose numbers are the best.
Thanks for sharing!
~Christine
Thanks, Christine, and CONGRATULATIONS! I think supporting all the athletes makes you the BEST fan, not the worst!
I think counting medals offends the Olympic spirit in the worst way. It’s like in a hundred places in our world (in our education system, for example). We create something that can be counted, we count it, and then start believing that we’re actually measuring something significant.
Oooops, time to get off the soapbox now.
Great post! You hit the nail on the head about taking part – I’d love to take part! I’m jealous or your enjoyment of previous Games! I’ve watched them since 76, but yesterday got to see some live for the first time, at the beach volleyball. I really enjoyed it, and it did hit home how much effort everyone puts in, whether they win or not. Cheers, Gordon
Hi Robbie…thanks for sharing the blog on the Olympics. I think in this world on one is there who hates Olympic especially the summer one. On some points I agree with you because it’s true that the Olympics is like wedding lots of music, celebration, happiness and tears are there.