Athletic competition exemplifies ideals of truth, rules, and merit that are rarely seen elsewhere. In athletics, rules are consistently applied and cheating is punished much more severely than lies in politics or business. The Olympics also inspire admiration through athletes who have overcome obstacles to participate through dedication and perseverance. More is expected of athletes than politicians, as Marion Jones received prison time for drug use while George Bush faced no legal consequences for distorting the truth to start an unnecessary war. The Olympic ideal of participation and striving for one's best promotes humanity more than violence or war.

1. The Significance of Athletics
As the start of the 2008 Olympics draws near, the significance of athletic competition
intensifies. Athletic participation, especially in the objective disciplines, exemplifies
ideals that are rarely evident in other areas of human existence. In politics, business,
law, religion, social sciences, etc., rules are often arbitrarily created, capriciously
enforced and meant to serve hidden agenda. Perhaps, only in the natural sciences
and athletics, does the effort consistently attempt to reveal the truth. The
disappointment, derision and punishment generated by falsified scientific data or
athletic cheating is far greater than lies and deception in other areas of life. When
George Bush distorted the truth in order to wage an unnecessary war against Saddam
Hussein, his approval rating decreased but he continued to serve as the President of
the United States of America. When Marion Jones lied to Congress about using
performance-enhancing drugs, she was stripped of all Olympic medals and sentenced
to a six-month prison term. All Bush did was waste lives, resources and money while
increasing the recruitment of the same terrorists he vowed to defeat. Marion Jones
broke the rules in athletics. More is expected from an athlete than from a politician.
The salient point to Olympic competition is not victory but participating and striving
for the best result. In many cases, just the dedication and perseverance required to
overcome obstacles in order to participate in athletics evokes admiration. That a few
of these athletes also become Olympic champions is awesome. Jim Thorpe, a native
American, overcame second-class citizenship, economic and education exclusion to
excel in sports. One of the greatest athletes of any era or any ethnicity, Thorpe won a
gold medal in the decathlon in the 1912 Olympics and played professional baseball
and football. Cathy Freeman, whose Australian Aborigine heritage mirrored that of
Jim Thorpe in the United States, won gold (2000) and silver (1996) medals in the
Olympic 400 meters. Wilma Rudolph overcame childhood poverty and polio to win a
total of four Olympic gold medals in successive Olympics – 1956 (4X100 relay) and
1960 (100 meters, 200 meters and 4 x 100 relay.)
Humanity would be better served if national disputes were settled and deceitful
politicians were exposed by athletic competition rather than wars, fraud and other
forms of violence. It took six years of fighting to end World War II. In 1936, Jesse
Owens and Ralph Metcalfe debunked Adolph Hitler’s mythology of Aryan supremacy
in less than 11 seconds by winning gold and silver medals in the 100 meters.
The veracity of athletics should not be obscured by exclusion or deception. It was a
huge mistake by President Jimmy Carter to boycott the 1980 Olympics for political
concerns. Only two World Wars caused the postponement of the Olympic games in
1916, 1940 and 1944. The Olympic ideal is necessary for our survival. William James’
“moral equivalent to war” is embodied in athletic ideals. That some will try to
circumvent rules, to win at any costs or to eliminate true athletic competition is to be
expected. Yet, as in the natural sciences, the quest of athletics must be to minimize
error and find the truth.
Article and photographs by Calvin Morris, African Connection Newspaper, Inc.