The 2024 Olympic Games are in full swing, and I’ve been glued to the coverage! The Olympics are a big deal in my house, if the TV is on, the Olympics are on. Now seems like a great time to take a deeper look at the power of the Olympics and what we can learn from this amazing sports spectacle. The Olympic Games are more than just a series of sporting events, they are a microcosm of human potential, physically, mentally, and socially. The Olympics showcases the power of sports as an inspiration for personal growth and societal change. Every four years we have the opportunity to watch the best athletes in the world perform, and to be inspired by the individual and unique journeys that led them to earn a place on the one team that represents our “big, bold, beautiful, complicated nation” so aptly described by Beyonce as she introduced Team USA at this year’s opening ceremony.
Personal Growth Through Sports
Sports has long been a place where life lessons in personal growth have been learned through experience. Olympic athletes are the best of the best. No one casually makes an Olympic team. This most impressive feat requires years of dedication, hard work, sacrifice, mental toughness, resilience, time management strategies, goal setting, and discipline. The journey that an athlete takes for even the chance to compete for a spot on the Olympic team will undoubtedly include adversity and setbacks, but overcoming adversity just leads to growth. Very few of us will become Olympians, but all of us can benefit from developing these same traits. They are the keys to success in life, not just sports.
The Olympics and Our Global Community
Sports have long been an incubator for social change. Regardless of our own opinions, we tend to come together through sports, both as participants and as fans. We’ve seen many examples of top tier sportsmanship throughout these 2024 Olympic games in Simone Biles cheering for her biggest competition, Brazilian gymnast Rebeca Andrade; Katie Ledecky and Australian swimmer Ariarne Titmus telling each other that they make one another better; and video footage of Michael Phelps celebrating as one of his records is broken.
The Olympics provide an opportunity for learning about other cultures. Whether it’s taking note of which sports are emphasized in various countries, how training philosophies differ, or or recognizing differences in fan behavior and pre-competition rituals like the New Zealand teams performing the Haka. The Olympics are a rare opportunity for the entire world to come together in one place at one time with everybody watching.
Sports And Mental Health
The importance of taking care of your own mental health has been brought to the forefront of national discussions thanks to elite athletes such as Simone Biles and Michael Phelps using their platforms to discuss the challenges they face in their own mental health. These athletes, along with others, have helped to normalize mental health struggles such as anxiety, depression, and pressure. Their openness about their own experiences have caused us to challenge the stereotype that successful people do not struggle with mental health issues. Their experiences have led to increased awareness, and likely encouraged others to seek help who might not have otherwise. Simone Biles, in particular, has demonstrated resilience in having overcome her struggles in the Tokyo Olympics to dominate in the Paris Olympic Games. Overall, mental health is now seen less as a taboo topic and more of a healthcare priority in large part because elite and high profile athletes have had the courage to publicly talk about their own struggles.
In Conclusion
Sports bring people together in an increasingly divisive world. For 16 days we are all united as Americans. Sure, there have been instances where some people who are inclined to look for things to disagree on have taken to social media to rant about their opinions, but I choose not to focus on that, and you too can choose not to focus on that! The Olympics is an opportunity to come together for one cause, and yes, to celebrate our differences. These games encourage us to emphasize teamwork and cooperation, strengthen bonds between families and communities, collectively pursue shared goals, overcome rivalries, and foster mutual respect for our fellow Americans. If we’re smart, we’ll take these lessons with us, learn from them and grow as a result of them.
