The Olympic Games are over for another four years, and the Australian team did great once again. The TV ratings also did well in Australia, with viewership at record levels. Australia is a very sports-minded country and relative to our population we won more medals than any other country except for the Netherlands. Australian athletes are also very committed and show a great deal of pride in representing their country. For the most part, wokeness has stayed out of Australian sport. Such is not the case for America.
In the U.S., television viewership was down 42% compared to 2016. It's not really surprising. Unfortunately, wokeness and politics have permeated all American sport, and a good portion of the populace is turned off. These Olympics were no exception.
First, there was the case of Gwen Berry, who won a Bronze medal at the U.S. Olympic trials and instead of standing and facing the flag on the podium, she turned her back with her hand on her hip, showing disdain for her country. She also pulled a T-shirt over her head, stating "Black Activist". Instead of appreciating what America has given her, the privilege, fame and opportunity, she displayed inexcusable hatred. In the Olympics, she finished out of the medals.
The number one ranked U.S. soccer team didn't fare much better. Before their match with Sweden, they knelt in solidarity with the radical group "Black Lives Matter", a totally inappropriate place for such a demonstration. They ended up losing 3-0 to Sweden. Many American fans actually cheered their loss.
The other highly publicized event was the shock withdrawal of gymnast Simone Biles. She cited mental health issues as the reason. I'm not here to judge her mental health; however, perhaps she should have withdrawn before the Olympics started. One particular statement that she made at her press conference raised eyebrows when she stated, "I also feel like I'm not having as much fun…". Not having fun? People at the upper echelons of sport are not there to have fun. I knew a state swimming champion who was up every day at the pool training for two to three hours. I wouldn't call that fun, but a commitment to a purpose—winning!
Many today, despite all their privileges, seem to behave like spoiled brats. I think back to some of the athletes from yesteryear who made sacrifices under great odds. They focused on success either for their country or their team.
Jesse Owens comes to mind. Here was a black man in the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games. It was still the era of segregation in the United States. Imagine the pressure and intimidation, performing in front of Adolph Hitler, who considered the Aryan race superior. Of course, we know that Owens won four Gold Medals and saluted the American flag on the podium. He made Hitler look small.
In recent years, golfer Tiger Woods has displayed tremendous courage when he could have easily quit golf. After multiple back surgeries and having to fight through the pain, he pushed on and in 2019, came back to win the Masters Tournament for the fifth time.
One of the most memorable displays of courage and determination by an athlete took place in 1964. It was game six of the Professional Ice Hockey Finals between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Detroit Red Wings. Toronto defenceman Bobby Baun unselfishly dropped to the ice and blocked a shot with just a few minutes left in the third period. It hit him on the ankle, one of the few places where there is no padding. Baun was taken off the ice on a stretcher.
Instead of leaving the game, Baun took some painkillers, trainers strapped the ankle, and he returned in the overtime period to score the winning goal. He wouldn't have the ankle x-rayed and played in the final game of the series, which Toronto won. X-rays later revealed that Baun had a badly broken ankle.
Athletes who give their all and have a "losing is not an option" attitude used to be the norm in the sporting world. Today it's not so much. Unfortunately, too many today, with inflated salaries and an inflated sense of entitlement, have lost their way. It's no wonder that, especially in America, many people are turning off.
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