This summer the season's big media event (other than the unfortunate and psychotic events in the world) is the Summer Olympics in Brazil.
Many a country tries to send their very best to compete in what is labeled as games of skill, stamina and showmanship.
Athletes spend sometimes a lifetime chasing this epitome of their chosen sport and prove to themselves that they can in fact be among the competitors the very best; in the World!
Now while I am not a big fan of organized sport of any kind I do know that there are some genuine individuals who have staked everything for the sheer love of a sport or game. For them their endurance and stamina and perseverance has guided their trajectory to a point where they can bask in the adulation from the crowd; win the medal or not. Usually only one person gets gold or first place even if there is a photo finish against the person that came second. Does that make the second place winner or the five setter tennis opponent that lost in tie break less of an athlete or unlucky? Hardly anyone remembers the second place winner.
This fanfare and media coverage has marketers salivating, audiences sweating (its hot in those stadia), but there are also countless stories of what I think is true endurance in the face of adversity that sometimes gets little to no mention. The world is driven by commercial success and deification of a fast swimmer as the headline than an anonymous soul that saved someone's life from drowning. But there are exceptions.
I saw a film about 33 miners trapped in a copper mine in Chile that portrayed human survival in the most grim of situations - trapped underground at a depth of over 1,000 feet with 100 degree temps and no food to eat. Ages from 19 to 60 there is a rowdy bunch of miners, all male, figuring out whether they can live to see the sunshine. All this to earn a measly living knowing full well the danger of the job. Not to seek a medal or get media coverage. Not because they had enough money to indulge into chasing a golf ball down a course or see if they could stand on a beam while doing flips. In fact for exactly the opposite reason - they have very little to feed their families and this mine offered them a better pay than other options.
It was eventually a heartwarming story of how they all survived, and how the world came together to save them and yes - popularized by the same media to show the softer side of humanity. Whether it was dumb luck that helped them escape the mine collapse or a confluence of factors including the unrelenting team effort above ground, the end result was that money is simply a means to that end not the end in itself.
I wish to see a world where there is more coverage and adulation for these victories than the mad chase for ad dollars and doping inspired tales to win gold. Even if someone just got lucky.
Many a country tries to send their very best to compete in what is labeled as games of skill, stamina and showmanship.
Athletes spend sometimes a lifetime chasing this epitome of their chosen sport and prove to themselves that they can in fact be among the competitors the very best; in the World!
Now while I am not a big fan of organized sport of any kind I do know that there are some genuine individuals who have staked everything for the sheer love of a sport or game. For them their endurance and stamina and perseverance has guided their trajectory to a point where they can bask in the adulation from the crowd; win the medal or not. Usually only one person gets gold or first place even if there is a photo finish against the person that came second. Does that make the second place winner or the five setter tennis opponent that lost in tie break less of an athlete or unlucky? Hardly anyone remembers the second place winner.
This fanfare and media coverage has marketers salivating, audiences sweating (its hot in those stadia), but there are also countless stories of what I think is true endurance in the face of adversity that sometimes gets little to no mention. The world is driven by commercial success and deification of a fast swimmer as the headline than an anonymous soul that saved someone's life from drowning. But there are exceptions.
I saw a film about 33 miners trapped in a copper mine in Chile that portrayed human survival in the most grim of situations - trapped underground at a depth of over 1,000 feet with 100 degree temps and no food to eat. Ages from 19 to 60 there is a rowdy bunch of miners, all male, figuring out whether they can live to see the sunshine. All this to earn a measly living knowing full well the danger of the job. Not to seek a medal or get media coverage. Not because they had enough money to indulge into chasing a golf ball down a course or see if they could stand on a beam while doing flips. In fact for exactly the opposite reason - they have very little to feed their families and this mine offered them a better pay than other options.
It was eventually a heartwarming story of how they all survived, and how the world came together to save them and yes - popularized by the same media to show the softer side of humanity. Whether it was dumb luck that helped them escape the mine collapse or a confluence of factors including the unrelenting team effort above ground, the end result was that money is simply a means to that end not the end in itself.
I wish to see a world where there is more coverage and adulation for these victories than the mad chase for ad dollars and doping inspired tales to win gold. Even if someone just got lucky.
Comments
Post a Comment