What would society look like if it weren’t for the athletes? Where would we be?
I flash back to gruesome bloody games in the heart of the coliseum, blood stains the dirt, swords and shields clash, We who have come to die salute you. Warriors, for moments, gods for a few moments before they die for the glory and entertainment of Rome. We flash to the Scotland, and the brutal demonstrations of strength and power for pride and honor. We even drop into Japanese culture of combative warrior sports which have roots deep in Japanese culture and have shaped this culture of honor as much as anything
Things were slightly different back then but honestly were they? Athletes die for your entertainment daily, they are warriors, the dedication, they put their blood and guts on the field of battle regularly for sport and entertainment, character display and honor. I think more so what this boils down to is they were goal driven, dedicated, they were required to fight through adversity, hungry, coachable, battled through busted knees, torn muscles, potential lifetime bodily damage, even threat of a honorable death. Shit man sounds like the athletes got the sharp end of the stick on this one.
But even if you don’t fall into the category of the competitive athlete I’m sure the blood, guts and glory on the field of battle inspires you to be a bigger you, doesn’t it? If it weren’t for the athletes where would the goal setting and drive we get inspired for personal excellence come from? Now I’m not saying that’s all of it and none of this is self driven, but, imagine if it weren’t for the athletes? Dedicated lifetimes to a single skill set, sacrifice, winning, loosing, upward battle. Inspiring lifetimes and generations to come all the way from the blood stained dirt in the coliseum, to the sounds of thousands of feet on the ground at the newyork marathon, or the cadence of a Kendo Shinai. The athlete has been a higher calling to some, an inspiration to others, an envy of every wanna be jock and weekend warrior across the world who had his glory days come and go, and a ever evolving animal that has molded our cultures and internal drives.
The athletes have molded culture across the world, the modern day warrior, which should be seen as an example to follow of a higher character, a higher standard, a higher expectation of achievement.
-the meatball
Comments