The 2016 Olympics have been making headlines for a few weeks now with record breaking athletic performances, heartwarming stories of sportsmanship, and other amazing things from countries all over the world. However, a recent headline of American swimmer Ryan Lochte quickly caught my eye in a sympathetic manor, to quickly be redirected to a state of disgust.
The first story that ran through social media on August 14 was that Ryan Lochte, as well as other American swimmers Jack Conger, James Fiegen, and Gunnar Bentz, were held at gunpoint and robbed in Rio. Obviously the news of this event would make anyone concerned and sympathetic for the safety of the swimmers involved. Until, the real story surfaced.
The New York Times states Lochte’s initial interpretation of the event as he and three fellow American swimmers being pulled over by armed men claiming to be law enforcement, aiming guns to their heads demanding money. Below, Lochte thoroughly explains how he was “robbed”.
As time moved on, allegations that Lochte had fabricated the incident began to immerse. Rio’s police chief ensured the story was untrue and a judge enforced a search and seizure warrant over the case. After a more thorough look into the details of this event, it seems that vandalism had been done by the swimmers in the gas station bathroom. Once they tried to exit the area, security officers attempted to stop them and make them pay for the damages they had done, with one officer apparently drawing his gun to control the swimmers until police arrived. The swimmers has paid for the damage before law enforcement came. Doesn’t sound like much of a robbery to me. Since, Lochte has taken to Twitter to formally address the situation.
Not only are the actions of these Olympians shameful, their attempt to lie and victimize themselves is even worse. In Lochte’s over privileged mind, he found it easier to just make up a story victimizing himself and placing blame towards a community that already has a negative stigma around it. Instead of owning up to his actions, it just seemed more likely that the impoverished people of Rio would commit an armed robbery against the innocent Ryan Lochte. I find it so distasteful to smear the reputation of a city holding one of the most important events in the world just to avoid “looking like the bad guy”. How arrogant can you be? Be a responsible 32 year old and admit to your bad choices.
Being an Olympian, you should be putting in even more effort to holding a good representation of our country for the millions of people looking up to you. With great success comes great responsibility, whether you ask for it or not. You don’t get to only represent our country when it comes to your athletic accomplishments. Like any other public icon, who you are entirely will reflect and resonate with millions. You cannot just expect everyone to dismiss your poor decisions and accept them because of your accomplishments. Your success will never overpower your poor qualities.
Now with all of that being said, it's important to remember what the real essence of the Olympics is. It's a shame the bad decisions of a couple of athletes is overshadowing some amazing things that are happening in Rio. Let's hope all other athletes have learned from these swimmers that just because they are athletic icons, they still need to humble and respect others.
