The Olympic Games
'Faster, Higher, Stronger'
The Olympics games are said to have been initiated in 776 BC in Ancient Greece. Of course, they took place in Olympia in honor of the Gods. Only men participated in the contests. Instead of gold, silver and bronze medals, the winners were given wreaths from a sacred olive tree that was said to have been planted by Heracles. The modern games that we have now have been changed greatly from the original ones, but the concept is still the same. Men would travel from all over Greece to get to Olympia to compete in the games. Now, athletes from all over the world travel extensive distances. Winning the games gives your country great glory and pride. Even if you don't win a medal, simply making it to the Olympics is a great honor to your family and country.
Now, what does this have to do with our experimental topic? Well, the Olympic games are just one example of how sports can bring people together in peaceful "gaming". There are many instances in life where people are separated by the language barrier. A few examples are the business world and the TV and music industries. There are a limited number of ways that this wall of miscommunication can be broken. Sports is one of them. When athletes play sports together, they don't have to speak the same language or even understand each other. All they need to understand is their mutual love for the game. This unfortunately is not the case in business or the other fields mentioned earlier. In business and social situations, not speaking the same language as the other people around you can make it uncomfortable and less productive. In sports however, not speaking the same language doesnt affect the game at all. That is what makes the modern Olympic games so successful. They promote worldwide peace because it brings so many different countries together under one roof in friendly competition. It is a celebration of the world's athletes. In this way, the language barrier is broken... if only for a little while.
“The Olympics is about unity. It’s about bringing people together to overcome adversity. It’s about having a can-do attitude.”
- Larry P. Langford, Mayor of Birmingham, Alabama
Now, what does this have to do with our experimental topic? Well, the Olympic games are just one example of how sports can bring people together in peaceful "gaming". There are many instances in life where people are separated by the language barrier. A few examples are the business world and the TV and music industries. There are a limited number of ways that this wall of miscommunication can be broken. Sports is one of them. When athletes play sports together, they don't have to speak the same language or even understand each other. All they need to understand is their mutual love for the game. This unfortunately is not the case in business or the other fields mentioned earlier. In business and social situations, not speaking the same language as the other people around you can make it uncomfortable and less productive. In sports however, not speaking the same language doesnt affect the game at all. That is what makes the modern Olympic games so successful. They promote worldwide peace because it brings so many different countries together under one roof in friendly competition. It is a celebration of the world's athletes. In this way, the language barrier is broken... if only for a little while.
“The Olympics is about unity. It’s about bringing people together to overcome adversity. It’s about having a can-do attitude.”
- Larry P. Langford, Mayor of Birmingham, Alabama
In order to confirm the unity of the Olympics, we interviewed Peter Burrows, an Olympic skating coach.
