This summer I had to first face the European Soccer League and right after that, the Olympics. This is how I found myself cheering for Italy as if it was a matter of honor to win, hugging people I didn't know when Italy scored and watching sports I didn't even know existed only because Italians were competing in them, with a passion I didn't expect coming from me.
I've watched the athletes performances, I've heard about their lives and I watched the interviews with their family members that explain the huge commitments they have made. These athletes practice for years, making incredible sacrifices (socially, academically and professionally), only to finally compete sometimes even for less than a minute. At times, it is their best performance ever, but other times they do very poorly, compared to what they did during practice.
Then, they have to wait four more years for another opportunity. They are heroes to me, their strength, their determination, their success, everything makes me admire them. Anyways, what I've learned this summer through the European Soccer League and through the Olympics is not to admire the athletes, but to admire the effect they have on the population. I believe that the real accomplishment of the Olympics games doesn't rely in the personal success of an athlete. It's in the effect that the Olympics have on people, on nations reunited in front of a television screen, finally cheering for the same outcome. This is something that politics, TV shows, national sport leagues and whatever never accomplish.
This is the reason why the first gold medal ever won by Puerto Rico had an incredible importance when their national anthem got played for the first time at the Olympics making people cry of pride around the globe. This is why my father exulted when Italy surpassed France and Germany in the quantity of gold medals, as if this proved something about Italians' superiority. This is why it's worth for an athlete to sacrifice it's life to sports, not for its personal glory, but for it's nation, for the patriotism he or she awakens.
