For Two Weeks Sports Dominates The World

I noticed something during the opening ceremonies  of the 2016 Olympic Games.  When all the countries march out there was no country called ISIS.  Each day we hear in the world of some person willing to blow themselves up in the name of ISIS.  At least for the 16 days while the Olympics go on   the rest of the world takes a vacation from war and sends their sports troops to the field of battle in the Olympics.

When we all are hit with a disaster like a hurricane or tornado we as a country called the USA will ride a motorcycle from Illinois to Rocky Mount to help with recovery from flooding like I saw here in 1999 as I worked at one of those food supply pickup areas in the Mall after Hurricane Floyd.  Americans in times of need rally to help each other.  Once the disaster is taken care of we fall back in our little hole of self  indulgence.

Every four years when we send our athletes to the Olympics all of a sudden it is as if a disaster is about to hit if we don't win a basketball game and we as Americans go ape crazy over winning.  You may not know this but the Olympic village  for the athletes is not big enough or has any other Olympics been big enough for an athlete to stay in the village all 16 days.  The swimmers and track and field have so many people taking part that you much leave the village by the end of two days after your last event.  Now that swimming is about over Track and Field athletes are taking over their rooms.

We the Joe average people who at one point in our life tried certain sports and for the most part were never much good at it admire those who excel.  Michael Phelps at age 31 racking up metals after only  about two years ago his life was in shambles because he had no life without swimming.  He has come back and all Americans love people who come back from the grave.  Those watching the swimming has anybody noticed a fat winner yet.  Swimming uses about all your muscles while in the water.  That must  be why I feel tire just when I go stand in the shallow end of the pool.

TV makes people seem taller Simone Biles is less than five feet tall.  When she is vaulting, walking on that ledge called a beam, flying through the air on the bars or running and flipping and landing on two feet see looks six feet tall.  Standing beside an average TV announcer she is a squirt.  How can anybody that small jump that high, flip and flop and not be broken into pieces.  There is such beauty  in what they can do.

There is no doubt Americans look for  hero's.   The expression on Simone Manuel's face  when she looked back at the clock hoping to get on the metal stand only to see her name first was priceless.  She becomes the first African American Female to ever win an individual gold metal in any swimming event.  Then you watch the tears of joy when that moment when you know I made it.

The final week will be outside when track and field takes over and there will be new hero's to cheer for and metals to be won.  TV glorifies winning but for every event  there is someone who always finishes fourth and there is no metal to be won.  We hear this term all the  time PB. Personal best.  I have never run faster in my life and I finished fourth.  Every person when ever they get out of their body something never before obtained they won whether they got a metal or not.