—Poetry by Michael Ceraolo, S. Euclid, OH
—Photos Courtesy of Public Domain
MODERN OLYMPIAN MODE #14: It Takes a Village (1932)
This was the year of two firsts
in contradiction with one another:
the first was
the building of a separate 'village'
to house the competing athletes
instead of their staying at existing places;
the second was
the turning of a profit for the games' organizers,
because that made professionalism
and its attendant evils inevitable
(and
the athletes getting paid isn't evil:
no one should make a profit from you
without your consent
Rather,
I speak of professionalism
as being business-like,
with
business' complete disregard of anything
other than winning at all costs)
And
the can-you-(and your country)-top this?
continues unabated to this day
This was the year of two firsts
in contradiction with one another:
the first was
the building of a separate 'village'
to house the competing athletes
instead of their staying at existing places;
the second was
the turning of a profit for the games' organizers,
because that made professionalism
and its attendant evils inevitable
(and
the athletes getting paid isn't evil:
no one should make a profit from you
without your consent
Rather,
I speak of professionalism
as being business-like,
with
business' complete disregard of anything
other than winning at all costs)
And
the can-you-(and your country)-top this?
continues unabated to this day
MODERN OLYMPIAN ODE #22: Standards (2016)
The goalkeeper of the United States women's soccer team
showed an ongoing lack of class in her comments
about the team that defeated them in the semifinals
(ignoring the fact that no players are responsible
for the ridiculous way games are decided
when they are tied at the end)
And of course
there were those who defended her comments,
saying
that if a man had made similar comments,
nothing negative would have been said;
he might even have been praised for his competitive spirit
And with the invincible ignorance of identity politics
those defenders were right about the double standard,
though,
of course,
not in the way they intended
(it's only a double standard when you're the victim,
never when you're the beneficiary)
For
if a man stood accused of domestic violence
as the goalkeeper stood accused
(the case not resolved as of this writing
as the Games are taking place)
he would have been nowhere near
any Olympic competition
The goalkeeper of the United States women's soccer team
showed an ongoing lack of class in her comments
about the team that defeated them in the semifinals
(ignoring the fact that no players are responsible
for the ridiculous way games are decided
when they are tied at the end)
And of course
there were those who defended her comments,
saying
that if a man had made similar comments,
nothing negative would have been said;
he might even have been praised for his competitive spirit
And with the invincible ignorance of identity politics
those defenders were right about the double standard,
though,
of course,
not in the way they intended
(it's only a double standard when you're the victim,
never when you're the beneficiary)
For
if a man stood accused of domestic violence
as the goalkeeper stood accused
(the case not resolved as of this writing
as the Games are taking place)
he would have been nowhere near
any Olympic competition
CLOSING CEREMONY: Modern Olympian Ode #45 (1896-): To All Others
To all who were the first of their ethnicity to compete
To all who were the first of their ethnicity to win
To all who won
To all who competed honorably
To all who didn't compete because of their personal boycotts
(very different from a state-sponsored stay-at-home)
To all who attempted to achieve one or more of the Olympic goals
Citius Altius Fortius (Faster Higher Stronger)
To all who for reasons of space
can't be commemorated individually,
this last ode is for you
_____________________
Today’s LittleNip:
The five S’s of sports training are: stamina, speed, strength, skill, and spirit; but the greatest of these is spirit.
—Ken Doherty
_____________________
Our thanks to Michael Ceraolo for helping us ring in the 2021 Toyko Olympics with thoughts from the past!
Tonight, 7:30pm, Sac. Poetry Alliance features Evan Myquest (Eve and Mike West) with Lelania Fowler, 1169 Perkins Way, Sac. Host: Tim Kahl. Please bring a mask if you are not vaccinated.
_____________________
—Medusa
To all who were the first of their ethnicity to compete
To all who were the first of their ethnicity to win
To all who won
To all who competed honorably
To all who didn't compete because of their personal boycotts
(very different from a state-sponsored stay-at-home)
To all who attempted to achieve one or more of the Olympic goals
Citius Altius Fortius (Faster Higher Stronger)
To all who for reasons of space
can't be commemorated individually,
this last ode is for you
_____________________
Today’s LittleNip:
The five S’s of sports training are: stamina, speed, strength, skill, and spirit; but the greatest of these is spirit.
—Ken Doherty
_____________________
Our thanks to Michael Ceraolo for helping us ring in the 2021 Toyko Olympics with thoughts from the past!
Tonight, 7:30pm, Sac. Poetry Alliance features Evan Myquest (Eve and Mike West) with Lelania Fowler, 1169 Perkins Way, Sac. Host: Tim Kahl. Please bring a mask if you are not vaccinated.
_____________________
—Medusa
To see more about the 1932 Olympics which were held
in Los Angeles, CA, go to www.ocregister.com/2017/07/30/heres-what-the-olympic-games-looked-like-in-1932-los-angeles/.
Photos in this column can be enlarged by
clicking on them once, then clicking on the x
in the top right corner to come back to Medusa.
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