The History is in the Telling
“The sun is but a morning star
Only that day dawns to which we are awake.”
Had a birds eye view of the sublime moments — felt the heat—burnt my bottom— heard the scuttle but —not immune to scandal.
Contextualizing the US Olympic Track & Field Trials 2021
Earliest memories to latest fallacies just to process it all is overwhelming and maybe we will never know truth and I’m really not sure if Athletics is endlessly interesting and fascinating, a reflection of our society and culture at large or just a confusing poorly governed mess.
Why are the Olympics such a big deal anyway is it only because of their past cachet and that of the Olympic Movement and its founder De Coubertin?
“The important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win, but to take part; the important thing in Life is not triumph, but the struggle; the essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well. To spread these principles is to build up a strong and more valiant and, above all, more scrupulous and more generous humanity.”
Well, who can argue with that but have the Games themselves become unruly and unmanageable?
Seemed like we had a good thing going for a period of time when the Olympic Games were more focused on the ancient sports —running—foremost among those.
Ancient Olympic Sports – running, long jump, discus, pankration
https://olympics.com/ioc/ancient-olympic-games/the-sports-events
We have strayed much too far from these original concepts and have watered down the entire enterprise. As someone who has been involved in Athletics for many years and hoped at one time to compete in the Olympics, I feel the Games have been taken away from me and handed over to a bunch of newly developed dare devil sports of dubious value.
I think the Games peaked in around 1960 Rome and now are in danger of “jumping the shark.”
I see Olympians everywhere in my grandson Olympian his grandmother Olympian hit the ideal, feel it and live it you become it better than the moment.
Okay, that is silly in one way but through the true Olympian we share in the experience and that is the appeal so we accept the pageantry embrace it feel prideful even so let’s not have that taken away from us get back, get back to where we once belonged.
The biggest issue with the early Olympic Games was forced amateurism which has been will always be DOA.
Without this we may have proceeded somewhat unscathed but we will never know.
Return to Athens make it home pare the Games to the essentials.
“I have spoken all depart.”
Tales of Brave Ulysses: