A little girl sitting in front of the television watching older girls with her dark skin and brown eyes wearing sequin covered leotards doing backflips and spins; A little boy with goggles on top of his head watching a man obtain his 20th gold medal; Runners wearing their countries' flag on their backs with pride; Looking in the mirror and seeing a huge smile on your face and tears in your eyes as you hold the gold medal in your hand; Substituting video games for shooting hoops; Waking up with the sunrise to get laps in the pool; Begging mommy to put you in gymnastics class instead of in day camp; Watching your daughter watch the TV screen, then jump up and exclaim, "Mommy! She looks like me!" or your son exclaiming, "I wanna be just like him!"
Though a majority of the Olympic audience are adults, there are children of all ages that watch the games with enthusiasm just like their parents. They cheer for their favorite athletes, and wear their countries' colors on their faces like dad. But unlike the adults, children notice things that we would overlook. They notice the bouncy curls on a gymnast's head; the dark shade of skin as a swimmer quickly pushes through the water. They hear the race identifications of these athletes and a little part inside them realizes that they too can win a gold medal if they tried because if Laurie Hernandez, Simone Biles, Michael Phelps and Serena Williams can do it, then why can't they?
Diversity in the greatest and most-watched sports event such as the Olympics is so, so important because it shows children of all backgrounds, all cultures and all genders can accomplish something amazing, too. It shows them that the gold medal can be theirs too, that they can have an Olympian title. They are taught that being themselves is OK and that no one will doubt them because they are short, or judge them based on their physical appearance. They learn that in this world talent and determination is all that matters and any obstacle can be overcome.
Strong. Skillful. Resilient. Brave. Intelligent. Driven. Caucasian. African-American. Asian. Hispanic. Men. Women. Olympians.
This is what they strive to be. This is what they wish for. This is what they pray for. This is their goal. These are their ambitions. They are their role models. This is what they see.
