The Overrated Games

The Olympics are overrated.

It's my unpopular opinion. At least it's unpopular right now, as it will be in two years when the Summer Olympics are held in Paris in 2024.

Once upon a time many years ago the Olympics brought together people. When the Persians invaded Greece in 480 BC the Greeks delayed putting together their army to defend their country because so many of the people wanted to go to the games. In boxing there was no weight class or time limit. If you committed a false start in track corporal punishment was waiting for you. Oh, and I think that it is often mentioned that everyone who competed was naked.

The games have now become a mockery of what they once were. We worry about doping. We train children to work through pain, broken bones, torn ligaments and tendons. We put into the minds of athletes that they have to give up their time, energy and mental state of mind to become “the best”.

All for what?

To say that they beat other countries during a time when our world was on the edge in so many areas. Let’s not worry about the economic crisis, inflation rates rising, our climate being on the verge of no return, racial tensions, gender inequality, a looming invasion that turned into an invasion, droughts, division of economic gap and the list goes on.

No once every four years we put billions of dollars into a two week-long event to show which country can bring home a small disc weighing about 500 to 800 grams or between 17- 28 ounces to show who is “the best”.

Have the Olympians actually competed in real world environments in recent years? Oh wait that's right they can't. This year all the snow for the 2022 Olympics in Beijing is man made. We hold them in cities within buildings or built tracks that are groomed to make sure that the best results are produced every time.

I want to see the swimmers in the oceans and rivers. Wait, we can't have the because of the chemicals in the water or the garbage. I want the sprinters to be on dirt unpaved lanes. Well that's unacceptable because it's uneven and who knows what is buried beneath the soil.

The athletes from these countries eat the best meals put together by nutritionist and chefs. How about we have them eat the food from the host county? How about we ask them to compete on the average meal of the average person in the country in which they are in? Oh, wait that's not going to happen because the calories wouldn't sustain them. How about asking them to do something as simple as drink the water from the host county? No, why not? Oh, that's right because most of them would get sick.

We watch as children are groomed to be the best in only one thing. Limiting their potential to be whoever they truly are. We watch as physically and emotionally they are pushed past their limits and told not to crack. And if they do, well that's the end of them. We watch the abuse of them and then we say that it's part of the games.

We watch the inequality between gender, race and economic status and cheer for it.

We watch as huge building are constructed as monuments and then left empty, unused in most countries after the games are left.

Corporations pump billions of dollars into the games to be a sponsor. To have their logos flashed so that they can get their name recognized by the world. Yet, some are the largest producer of waste in all forms helping further the climate crisis. They have some of the lowest wages for their workers. And their products are not something that the average person is able to afford.

What is the solution?

How do we bring the world together? Instead of teaching it to be divided?

It's a crazy idea. How about we bring the counties together to do good?

How about we bring the athletes, the nutritionist, the trainers, doctors and the corporations and have them then do things that make a difference? How about we also bring scientist, engineers and builders? How about we bring together those creating new technology?

And we have them working together in these countries that are chosen to help them and the world be better?

Building schools and homes for the cities in the biggest need. Having clinics for everyone for vaccines and health care needs. Instead of building huge areas we build water and sewage treatment facilities. We installed sustainable power sources. Helping to build urban farming areas for fresh food. Helping to clean up farming areas, while teaching them about crop rotation and rainwater harvesting. Mass cleanup of waterways, rivers and oceans while creating recycling areas nearby. If we planted native trees and other vegetation to allow the earth to begin to breath again.

What if for two weeks every two years (Summer and Winter Olympics) the world came together so that we could begin to heal?