The Summer and Winter Olympics are held every four years. And every four years, the Olympic activity is nothing short of incredible. This year, Rio held the 2016 Summer Olympics, and the past two weeks have not fallen short of expectation. As a country, the USA dominated. We collected a total of 121 medals; 46 gold, 37 silver, and 38 bronze. These past fourteen days were full of success, pride, and sheer admiration. But the actions of American swimmer Ryan Lochte tainted the entire image of our country, its success, and how we handle ourselves abroad.
The whole Ryan Lochte situation seems to be so complex, but I'll try to put it simply-- he (and some other swimmers) claimed they were held at gunpoint at a gas station in Rio. He then further claimed that he and his teammates were robbed by the gunmen. After multiple changes in the story, Lochte and his teammates admitted to Lochte making up the entire robbery. Basically, Lochte was afraid of getting in trouble for being destructive inside the gas station.
In essence, Ryan Lochte lied and attempted to blame others for his actions. Details aside, that's the gist of what happened. Will he face repercussions? Yes. Will they be substantial enough? I'm not sure.
Rumor has it that Lochte won't face any jail time, but there is a possibility he will lose some sponsorship. I understand that might be a big thing for athletes, but I don't think we should be treating Ryan Lochte like an athlete-- I think we should be treating Ryan Lochte like we would treat someone who broke the law.
For instance, let's say as a student I went to a conference and was representing my school. What would happen if after the conference, I was intoxicated in public, became destructive, and then falsely accused someone of holding me at gunpoint and robbing me? First off, I would without question be expelled from school. Secondly, I would without question face charges-- public intoxication, destruction of property, falsely reporting a crime, etc.
For instance, let's say I'm a professional and went on a business trip representing my company. What would happen if some time on that trip, I was intoxicated in public, became destructive, and then falsely accused someone of holding me at gunpoint and robbing me? I would be fired without question and without question face charges.
So, maybe Ryan Lochte losing sponsorship is equivalent to him being expelled from school or fired from his job; I really don't know. But, for some reason, it doesn't seem like enough to me.
I hope he faces the legal system without bias.
Ryan Lochte is an American Olympian who was representing the United States of America. Swimming is his job, just like being a student is mine, or being a businessperson might be yours. He was representing the United States of America, just like I represent my college, or you represent your company. We would without question face life-altering consequences, and I believe the same should go for Lochte.
There are few, few times in life to be biased-- and this certainly isn't one of them.
In the future, I hope I think of the 2016 Olympics and remember the 121 American medals, and that there were 46 gold, 37 silver, and 38 bronze. I hope I remember the success, pride, and sheer admiration I felt towards our country. And I hope that I don't allow the poor actions of one (or four) to overshadow the unbelievable accomplishments of so many.
