I’m a big fan of the Olympics. I think they’re great not just because they are a celebration of peace and athletics, but because they bring exposure to so many sports and athletes that we don’t normally get to hear about. While there are a few high profile (and highly compensated) athletes in the mix, there are literally thousands of others who struggle along in simple dedication to their sport. They aren’t motivated by the greater glory or almighty buck, but rather by the transforming power of their sport that has touched and changed them.
Sport can change you in many ways. The broad undercurrent of this column is that you can learn a lot about life from sports and fitness. You can gain the skills and tools needed to become not only healthier, but happier. Obviously, sport changes you physically, but it also affects you mentally and spiritually, too. It changes your experience of life and how you perceive and appreciate others.
One particularly moving moment from the Olympics for me was during one of the medal ceremonies. The commentator, a gold medalist herself, related a story about how hearing the national anthem played in your honor on the Olympic podium changes the song for you. Every time you hear it after that, it’s different – more powerful and moving. I thought about that and got goose bumps. Based on that story, I may never hear the anthem the same again, and I’ve never been anywhere near the Olympic podium.
What makes the Olympic podium so powerful? The transforming power of sport. The Olympics isn’t just any other competition, it’s a competition against the very best in the world in front of all humanity. It’s a showcase that serves as the culmination of irrepressible dreams and years of training. It’s the ultimate goal for every sport and every athlete.
To win an Olympic medal is an awesome accomplishment experienced by only a few hundred people on the planet every few years. To win a gold medal and earn the right to have your national anthem played in your honor, that’s simply the fulfillment of every athlete’s greatest dream. Their sport and their life lead to that moment, and hearing the anthem transforms the dream to reality. What could be more powerful?
The transforming power of sport isn’t just for Olympic champions. We all experience it every day in many ways. One way I experience it is in how I view others in sport. As an athlete, I find that I have a greater appreciation of other athletes. I’m a good cyclist, but what I saw the top pros doing at the World Championships last year was phenomenal. I understand their speed, skill, and strength better than the casual observer because I know what it takes to perform at my level, let alone at the much higher level where they compete.
The reason behind having color commentators for sports broadcasts is to bring that transformed perspective to the masses. The color commentator has a personal background with the sport that enables them to see and relate to more than the average fan. Until John Madden picked up the telestrator, most people probably didn’t know what a trap block was really all about. Now, millions of fans can follow intricate blocking schemes. Sport is so powerful that even second-hand it can change your experience.
As an athlete, I know my body and what it can do. As a spectator, I can relate that to my sport or any other and see it differently – more personally. As a runner, I’ve sprinted along the side of a football field. As a fan, I can extend that to imagine what it must be like to make that run wearing full gear while having other guys try to flatten you. As a triathlete, I know how gratifying it can be to hear a dozen people clapping as I cross the finish line. As a fan, I can imagine magnifying that a few thousand times as wild cheers resound through a packed stadium.
Life is full of wonderful and meaningful experiences, and as an athlete, you can experience them in greater depth through the transforming power of sport.