Does The Olympics Really Bring Nations Together? It's Always Claimed to In The Traditional Sense

As a highly competitive individual, I see the Olympic Games as abundantly beneficial to humanity. I see it as a way to bring nations together, and show each other that we are not really all that different. In doing so in sporting events, it allows for maximum nationalism while still uniting all humans across the planet in a common cause; the cause of the human spirit if you will. Okay so, I'd like to discuss this with you for a moment if I might.
You see, not long ago on July 25, 2012 there was a very interesting article the Wall Street Journal titled; "Olympic ideals don't match reality That," by Andrew Roberts who stated that perhaps we should; "enjoy the sports competition, but shield yourself from self-congratulation about world peace." In the article he noted that although the Olympic Games do bring nations together, there have still been wars, including two major world wars, and a myriad of military conflicts, and the Cold War during this time.
Whereas, someone might say; "it could've been worse," which is obviously true, the author does make a good point in his op-ed piece. War is a lot like competition, but I would submit to you that good clean competition beats war and conflict any time, and the Olympic Games have been nothing short of a stellar performance of human achievement, and a time of commonality where we can all come together, put aside our international tensions and compete in sports. It is great to see even the most obscure nation with an Olympic champion all to their own, perhaps in a sport we know little about.
When we see their raw emotion and sense of pride and nationalism flow outward as they take the Olympic medal, it reminds us of ourselves, and our own goals and dreams. It reminds us that we are not so far apart, even if we speak a different language, look differently, or are born in a faraway land. The Olympics brings people together for a good reason. No, it's not always perfect, and there is always controversy, but in the end it is a good thing, which few would deny.
From a historical standpoint I would say that yes, the Olympic Games have not stopped human conflict or wars, or maybe they have, maybe they've had an impact on world leaders, or made us think twice. Even if they have only prevented a few wars along the way, that's a good thing. Of course, we will never know and that is the unfortunate reality. Still, I do believe, and it does stand to common sense and reason that the Olympic Games have indeed brought us closer together. I hope they continue to do so. I ask that you please consider all this and think on it.

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Sports Psychology: What Are Olympic Athletes Really Like?

The 2012 Olympics got terrific television ratings. Apparently, Americans were really drawn to this year's games.
The Olympics are a distraction from some of the economic and political turmoil which seem to dominate the news much of the time. The Olympics also give rise to a feeling of pride and nationalism amongst fans and viewers from around the world.
The variety of sports in this year's games was mind boggling. Where else can you see athletes from around the world competing in sports like beach volley ball, boxing, cycling, pole vaulting, high jumping, diving, archery, soccer, field hockey, wrestling, tae kwon doe, fencing, handball, kayaking, weight lifting, fencing, rowing, gymnastics and others?
And there was certainly a lot of buzz about the games here in America. People were tweeting, blogging and sharing of Olympic moments in conversations with friends, family members and colleagues.
My cohorts at my tennis club seemed to be fascinated with games from London. People were getting off the tennis courts to watch basketball, tennis and track events. As always, there were some surprises, some drama, some controversy, some new records as well as an abundance of fascinating human interest stories.
NBC uses a lot of air time to bring these close up looks of the athletes to the viewing public. And the network did a good job of communicating the nature of the time, money and energy sacrifices that the athletes and their families need to make to make it to this elite level of sports.
Over the years, I have been lucky enough to counsel a number Olympic athletes including four gold medal winners. These athletes were from a variety of sports including gymnastics, weight lifting, boxing, skiing and rowing.
This year, two clients of mine brought home gold medals. Because of client confidentiality regulations, I can not share very much about them. However, it was quite thrilling to see people who sat in my office on the gold medal platform. I have also interviewed three or four previous gold medal winners for my weekly column.
Not surprisingly, these athletes have great discipline, focus and resiliency. They also have great passion for their sport and their teammates. They also have strong feelings about representing their country.
Like the rest of us, they also have fear, anxiety and interpersonal conflicts with people in their lives.
What is really striking to me, however, is the fact that to a person, all of these remarkable athletes are quite humble, soft spoken and very respectful.
None of them were arrogant or grandiose. Rather, they were all quite genuine and down to earth.
While there is a lot of press regarding out of control athletes who make bad choices, break the law and who are poor role models for our kids, this group of competitors was a real pleasure to get to know and to work with. They all embody what is best about sports.

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