Do we need the Olympics?

There’s a lot of talk about the Olympics right now and whether sending athletes and officials there is the right thing to do, or not, for society as a whole.

Today, I thought I’d share my thoughts on this issue. 

Basically, there are two big arguments against the Olympics (and Paralympics - so when I say “Olympics” that’s going to be shorthand for both in this piece) right now: 

• The first, of course, is the pandemic. Some folks are still wondering, is it safe and sensible to be going to Tokyo given the risk of COVID-19?

• Secondly, there is discussion of boycotting the February 2022 Olympics on the basis of China’s human rights violations. (There’s some talk of a diplomatic boycott as one solution here - which means the U.S. wouldn’t send a delegation from the government.)

As you might have guessed, I’m solidly in the “we should go” camp. 

For Tokyo: athletes and their coaches. 

For Beijing, all of us: athletes, officials, and diplomats.

Look, there’s a lot of stuff that I’m not an expert in. But there are three things that I really know for sure. 

One is how to push a bobsled. (But I’ll save that lecture for another day.) 

The second is the impact that the Olympics can have as a source of inspiration and unity.

And the third is the power of role modeling. For the past decade my work with Classroom Champions has enabled me to see, beyond the research and data, exactly how much a role model can change a child’s life. 

And the Olympics is like a 16-day masterclass of role modeling.  

The same things that we see role modeled at the Olympics are the things we teach our kids in a SEL (social-emotional learning) curriculum in schools:  respect for differences and the benefit of diversity; teamwork and fair play; rules matter; goal setting; growth mindset; delayed gratification; and so much more. 

But it’s not just about the athletes themselves: it’s about the countries coming together. No matter how much we disagree with each other, we all follow and accept the same rules in our sports. If we break those rules, we accept the consequences. And even if we don’t like the rules or the consequences (or even each other) we uphold the same principles of fair play. 

When the ball goes out of bounds off our teammate, we don’t fight the ref when she awards the ball to the other team. We adhere to the call and get back in the game.

If our athletes are going to the Olympics, our government officials should go too, because effectively, they all play for the same team. They are all role models and leaders, and it would be a mistake to divide them. 

Kids need to see what it looks like to come together (even when we vehemently disagree with each other), and play by the same rules. 

And boy oh boy, so do adults. 

- Steve