Summer is coming to a close, and while we're all dreading going back to school and our mundane, routine lives, somehow we are filled with a new purpose and fresh energy. How could this be? How am I so excited about the most stressful and time-consuming season of my life? Because it's an Olympic year folks, and Rio is hosting an Olympic Games that we are never going to forget. The 2016 Olympic Games have only just begun and they are already making history, whether it's the Refugee team or Katie Ledecky smashing the 400 meter World Record in swimming. Though you may not be a huge Olympic fan yourself, here's what you need to know about Rio and why you should totally care about it:
1. Mo' women, mo' medals.
2. Breaking barriers like they're world records, baby!
As earlier stated, the Rio Olympics highlight diversity in a way that history has never seen. The Olympics at their core were founded on showcasing the diversity of the world, bringing countries together from diverse cultural backgrounds and displaying what we all have in common. Totally buff shirtless guys. (I kid, I kid... sort of.) But the athletes that each individual country chooses to represent them in the Olympics means something. When an Olympic athlete is selected by his or her nation, he or she represents that nation on a global stage. These athletes form our opinions and perceptions of their respective countries, and so being an Olympic athlete is an amazing opportunity to break cultural barriers and stereotypes. One such athlete is Ibtihaj Muhammad, an Olympic fencer on the United States team that wears a hijab. A woman who proudly wears a hijab has been chosen to represent our country. Am I the only one who realizes how amazing that is?! Imagine all of the little girls in America who are terrified to wear a hijab to school because they are afraid of being bullied. Now imagine those girls watching Ibtihaj represent them to the entire globe! Athletes like Ibtihaj are breaking cultural barriers and say to the world that the United States is proud to have not just a woman on their team, but a woman who is of a culture that we constantly hear berated by Americans. Rio is making an impact, plain and simple.
3. This is the first Olympic Games hosted in South America.
Now don't get me wrong, Brazil is filled with problems. The gentrification alone caused by the Olympics may scar Rio's people forever. Thousands of people have been evicted from their homes since 2009, when plans to rebuild the city of the Olympics began. Human trafficking, gruesome murders, and overall injustice lurk in every corner that Rio wants to hide. But, no Olympic country is perfect. The extreme systemic racism in London, the unbending law in Beijing, the crime in Sochi... the list goes on. Rio is not the first Olympic city to sweep its problems under the rug by any means, and that does not mean we should turn a blind eye. But, the world now perceives Rio on the same level as previous Olympic cities. Rio has just joined a very exclusive club that has opened the door to future Olympic possibilities in South America. Who knows? Someday there may be an Olympic Games in Peru, or Chile, or Puerto Rico! South America has now proven that they too can sustain a global phenomenon, and the possibilities that have risen from the Rio Olympics will affect generations to come. According to many studies, Brazil isn't even the richest country in South America! So clearly, other countries could hold the Olympics as well.
4. The entire world cheering for the Refugee team.
If you saw the opening ceremonies, you know that the entire stadium literally erupted for the Refugee team. Voices from around the world screamed in support of the survivors, and Brazil even gave them the distinct honor of entering the stadium directly before the native team. The Refugee team represents multiple countries, Syria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to name a couple, and now their stories, their struggles, are being shared around the globe. What better cause, what better display of bravery, than to enter a global competition with no country to your name? POTUS said it best in a tweet during the opening ceremonies, "Tonight, the first-ever #TeamRefugees will also stand before the world and prove that you can succeed no matter where you're from." The Rio Olympics have proven that the refugee crisis is a global issue, and one that refuses to be ignored.
5. Our entire culture shifts.
Even if you stay completely out of the Olympic loop, everyone knows when the Olympics are happening. Do you want to know how? There are many tells, but everyone can recognize that the Olympics are happening by the commercials. For one month, the majority of commercials become something different than hyper-sexualization and unrealistic expectations. For one month, the majority of commercials focus on victory, perseverance, hard work, and actual goals achieved by real, flesh and blood people. For one month the world insists on hearing a female athlete's story over what she's wearing. For one month the world is flooded with images of inspiration and encouragement. For one month our culture shifts into something that glorifies community over self, work over wealth, and hope over fear. I think that's nothing short of magical, and I personally would advocate for the Olympics because the more people care, the more this shift occurs. If the Olympics weren't a big deal, we'd still be seeing half-naked women try to sell you a cheeseburger. Our participation is what encourages industries to make the shift, and if we could keep that shift going past the actual Olympics then who knows how the world would change.
All in all, the importance of these Olympic Games rests on our shoulders. The athletes do all of the training and make all of the sacrifices, but we are the ones that cheer them on. We are the ones that lets the world know "Hey, this matters, and this is what we want to see!" Without us, the changes happening in Rio will stop there. So Tweet about an event, share an interview with an athlete, or hashtag the crap out of that status update! The world needs to learn from the Rio Olympics, and we need to give it a little push.
