The USA seems to be doing very well in the Olympics this year… I think at last count I heard we had 9 golds, 3 silvers and 1 bronze.
And could I take a moment and point out that I would be damn proud of a bronze? It seems to me that everyone is too flippen obsessed with the gold. Like silver and bronze are some kind of “you suck but we’ll acknowledge you anyway” award? Why IS this so?!
I loved it after the Winter Olympics in 1998 when Jay Leno said to Michel Kwan that, “Well, you lost the gold.” and she gave him a look and said, “No, I won the silver.” Right on! I’d be so damn proud I’d wear that sucker everywhere I went!
Last olympics when we beat the Chinese in gymnastics, the Chinese athletes were forced to melt down their medals, and the coach was fired. I wouldn’t be surprised if they put him to death.
MadPoet: Yes, this time around they said it was “shameful” and “disgraceful” to bring back anything but the gold. This really saddens me. As a dreaming “working out to be the best I can be” kind of athlete I would be thrilled just for a place on the Olympic team.
To me, that right there, says you are a winner. Bronze, silver or gold is just icing on the cake… I wish more people saw it this way…
Sigh.
Sometimes humanity really lets me down…
I am in AWE of ALL the athletes that made it to the Olympics! They have done something that I could never do; I envy them and think highly of them. I just want them to feel good just for BEING there! I’d be so honored I’d probably not be able to contain my joy.
There is no shame in silver and bronze; there is VAST shame in not honoring yourself for what you have already done.
China aside, most of the athletes are happy to come home with a bronze or a silver. It’s a combination of national pride and the media’s and public’s fascination with winners that gives short shrift to 2nd or 3rd place finishes. And for some countries, even a bronze can be a cause for national celebration.
Not in the Olympics. Good lord, there’s a reason there are three medals. I still remember those unspeakable “You didn’t win the silver, you lost the gold” commercials from the Atlanta games, which were ridiculous because they did not reflect the aspirations of the OVERWHELMING MAJORITY of Olympic athletes.
Let me make this clear…most of them have no chance of winning at all. Only the best of the best contend for any medal. They’re taking on the toughest competition in the world, which is somewhat different from the old varsity squad. In short, I do not hold the slightest contempt for anyone who finishes second or third…or fourth, eighth, or twentieth. Surprising as it may seem, a lot of them really are just proud to be there.
MadPoet - I will not attempt to rationalize the Chinese government’s actions. It really has been hell in a handbasket since before Tiannamen. God, what next.
brandocet - If second is last, what does that make third? “Second last”? (Or is that redundant?) What about the actual last place finisher? “Dead hopeless never had a chance last”? Yeah, that’ll sell a lot of t-shirts…
Uh, it’s a famous phrase uttered by those who strive to win, kind of like winning isn’t everything it’s the only thing. If you’re not competing to win, then why compete at all? Look, losing sucks, and don’t be fooled by all those 2nd and 3rd placers who say “they’re just happy to be
(t)here” You don’t get to that level by being satified with 2nds, 3rds, 50ths, or whatever. First IS first and second IS last, along with everyplace after that. Oops, mini-rant.
I like silver better than gold. It’s shinier, and you don’t have to pay nearly as much per ounce to buy it.
Plus, could you imagine saying “Every cloud has a gold lining”? No way! That’d sound lousy! “Silver” will always have a nicer ring to it in English than “gold” will. It even sounds like “sylvan,” which evokes images of an unspoiled forest populated with Tolkien’s elves. What could be better than that?
Then again, silver does tarnish when exposed to the air, and gold doesn’t. Plus, winning a gold medal entitles you to get your country’s national anthem played on a really cheesy syhnthesizer.
I was so pleased last night watching the women’s swimming. When US women came in first and second and they were so happy and then there was the Costa Rican woman. She came in third and she looked as pleased as could be. Her country has only ever been awarded 3 medals. She has 2 of them and her sister has the other one. This woman lives in a country with no indoor swimming pools (according to NBC) and has to practice outdoor in 50 degree water sometimes. YIKES! That’s the kind of person I want to show to my kids for an example of determination to do her best. She did her best and she was pleased to be awarded the bronze medal. So there are 2 women in the world who are faster than her. She’s still faster than ALMOST everyone else in the world. That’s great! (I wish I could remember her name now.)
brandocet - believe it or not, winning isn’t always everything to an athlete. Some are just as proud to have done their personal best. I played baseball throughout my years in high school. My senior year was my best year. I was always good at defense, but that year I improved my batting average from .230 to about .275. I stole 27 bases. I hit an inside the park homerun (I was never a power hitter). I made an unassisted triple play.
Did I get any special recognition? No. The team’s MVP at the end of the year was our 1st baseman, who hit around .325 with over 60 RBIs and 25 homeruns. I wasn’t even in the running for anything other than the team’s gold glove, which I had already gotten the year before.
I poured my heart out and gave my all that year and put in the best season I had ever had there. Was I upset that I didn’t get anything for it? No. Joe (the 1st baseman) was better than I. He deserved it. But I was still proud of myself. I pushed myself and had achieved my goals. Not for one instant did I regret not being the team MVP that year because I knew:
I had beat out other players to be the starting 2nd baseman, I was better than anyone else at my position
I made the team when so many others had been cut. I was glad just to be able to play every day.
I did the absolute best I could do, and no one could take that away from me.
Winning isn’t everything, brandocet. Being your best is all you can expect of anyone, regardless if they get any awards for it.
Uh ok, in that case I don’t believe it, because it just isn’t true. I was an athlete for many years, I’ve trained and competed at that level. It’s one thing to enjoy your sport and be proud of personal accomplishments, but when you’re actually close to being the best, you want it the most. Of course you shouldn’t expect others to do anything more than their best, but trust me, they expect a lot more out of themselves than you think. And it isn’t the jewelry that they compete for. And, as I said before, you don’t get to the level of these guys by being satisfied with coming in 2nd.
Remember the Simpson’s episode where thet were bidding on holding the Olympics? I believe the character playing the IOC President referred to the medals as “glorious gold, so-so silver, and oh-so shameful bronze”.
Refering to the Costa Rican swimmer. I agree completely that she is to be reapected for her guts and determination. She’s the third best in the world, not freakin shabby.
And that’s more than any of us can say about ourselves…
