I love the Olympics. Since the first one I can remember– 1972, when I was 9, the summer games in Munich, the triumph of Mark Spitz, the horror of the Israeli team being kidnapped and murdered by Palestinian terrorists—I’ve have been hooked.
This year’s been no different: lots of late nights and bleary-eyed mornings as a result. But today’s NY Times had two stories that really showed how the Olympics reveal things about our society. The first was about Kisik Lee, the head coach of the United States archery team, who seems to all but coerce his athletes into becoming born-again Christians (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/20/sports/olympics/20archery.html?_r=1&ref=olympics&oref=slogin). The second was about gold medal wrestler Henry Cejudo, whose mother, Nelly Rico, came to the United States from Mexico as an illegal immigrant and raised seven children by herself. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/20/sports/olympics/20cejudo.html?ref=olympics).
I hear all the time from right wing types about “good Christians” and “bad illegal immigrants.” But who is really upholding American values: the Christian coach who bullies his teenage charges or the mother who risks it all in hopes of a better life for her family? The former makes me hang my head in shame; the latter makes me want to scream “USA! USA!” at my TV set.
Too bad the right feels just the opposite.
You’re spot on. Exactly. I continue to be saddened/amazed/furious/etc at the many things done in the name of Christianity. As for the Olympics, I’m afraid I haven’t watched even a single minute of them. But I’ve kept up nicely via many, many bloggers.
Left by Lewis on August 20th, 2008