But let's talk about the athletic ideal for a moment, the real reason people watch the Olympics. In this arena we see the telescoping of the lessons of life, producing either a win or a loss instantly. An athlete who has an injury, falls, is late at the starting block, or just does not have the training or natural ability, is eliminated quickly. It is the few, the dedicated, the unusually gifted, with everything working, who reach their absolute peak under pressure, who win. They have survived a titanic obstacle course.
Victories come at a price.
It is also where the resemblance ends. One reward is fleeting, the other eternal. For the future Olympian, a gold medal is years away if it ever comes at all. Few Olympians, among the few who qualify, ever get to the final rounds before they are eliminated into obscurity. Most walk away or kneel in the sand, or go off to a corner, tears running down the occasional face for an event that is over.