A case for caring about the Olympics.
I've been imagining myself as a quasi-triathlete of late. I'm gaining miles on the bike, I'm running faster and for longer, and as for my swimming … OK, maybe I've been a tad optimistic there. In keeping with the new me, I've also been marveling at the training programs of top athletes, and I recently spent a Sunday afternoon glued to the World Triathlon Series — budging only for the obligatory British cuppa. The determination to compete at the Olympics was apparent on almost every athlete's face. |
And yet this year's Games, the opening ceremony of which kicked off in Tokyo on Friday, is plagued by criticisms and controversies. With the Delta variant surging and vaccination rates lagging worldwide, some fear it could become a superspreader event. Suspensions and unsavory remarks have dampened the mood. |
Despite all this, Lindsay Crouse argues that you should still tune in. "I'm tired of being cynical about everything," she says, and the truth is, watching athletes push through adversity and pain to win a spot on the podium can be pretty inspiring. "In such a broken time, there's a particular salve that these triumphs offer, an example to spur us forward." |
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