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Part of what makes watching people with disabilities compete in events so heartwarming to watch is being able to share in their victory. But what kind of victo

Part of what makes watching people with disabilities compete in events so heartwarming to watch is being able to share in their victory. But what kind of victory is it? I used to wrestle competitively, and I still believe that it's the most underrated sport, partly for the following reason: Wrestling is undeniably a team sport - matches are scored for the entire team, and the support and camaraderie between teammates is not an empty gesture; I can't imagine a successful team that lacks this. But on the other hand, when you and your opponent are on the mat for your six minutes, you're the only one fighting for your team - all the pressure is on you and you alone. Most importantly, this makes victories personal. You can win your match even if the team loses, and vice versa. You can lose your match and still help the team win (by keeping the margin of victory low, which impacts the score). You can have a personal triumph, and your teammates will share in that, regardless of the outcome of the team's score. I know less about the Paralympics than the Special Olympics (and yes, I know they're different), but to me, both always stood out to me as wonderful reminders of the true importance of sportsmanship - not athleticism, but sportsmanship. Part of that is about treating your opponent with respect, which is how we usually hear the word, but part of it is about treating yourself with respect. A dishonorable victory may help your team/country, but for you personally, it's a defeat. On the other hand, being able to overcome a personal struggle, even if you don't "win" the match, qualifies as a victory in my book, and as a spectator, I like being able to celebrate that with the athlete. Knowing that somebody is artificially harming their body in order to boost some artificial metric (like their race time), or even to gain an edge over their opponent - that's not a good way to treat yourself as an athlete. But that robs me of my vicarious joy as well. And that's a horrible way to treat your teammate.

mindcrime 14y ago
> Wrestling is undeniably a team sport - matches are scored > for the entire team Hey Otto, I've got news for you. Wrestling is not a team sport. When you're out there against a guy who is faster and stronger than you, there isn't a whole hell of a lot your team can do for you."[1] > I know less about the Paralympics than the Special Olympics (and yes, I know they're different), but to me, both always stood out to me as wonderful reminders of the true importance of sportsmanship - not athleticism, but sportsmanship. No doubt, good sportsmanship is an admirable quality. But is it really reasonable to expect the Paralympics or Special Olympics to be any more of an exemplar of that, than any other athletic competition? At the end of the day, the participants are still people... with ego, vanity, jealousy and whole gamut of human emotions. [1]: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090270/ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090270/
icegreentea 14y ago
It is easy to accept such a position. But then you find many cases where it IS acceptable for an athlete to cause harm to themselves. You would know, you were a wrestler. You knew the guys who just cut a bit. And then there were those monsters who cut nearly whole weight classes. And it wasn't just that they were undisciplined and screwed up and had to make up for it. Those are the lean mean killing machines, who somehow squeeze out a gallon of water from their bodies. And while temporary, it is most certainly dangerous. And they most definitely gain an advantage. Which comes back to, it's all relative. Acceptable behavior is not fixed. What is sportsmanlike is fluid, and changes between sports, and over time, and even geographically, and carries a great due of subtlety. For example, in basketball, intentional fouling is often a sound decision. North American Ultimate Frisbee is the most unsportsmenlike thing in the world according to the rest of the world. Major league baseball pitchers routinely (as in always) break the rules on how long they wait between pitches (and the batters are just happy to oblige). The whole thing is a complicated furball.

mindcrime 14y ago

> Wrestling is undeniably a team sport - matches are scored > for the entire team Hey Otto, I've got news for you. Wrestling is not a team sport. When you're out there against a guy who is faster and stronger than you, there isn't a whole hell of a lot your team can do for you."[1] > I know less about the Paralympics than the Special Olympics (and yes, I know they're different), but to me, both always stood out to me as wonderful reminders of the true importance of sportsmanship - not athleticism, but sportsmanship. No doubt, good sportsmanship is an admirable quality. But is it really reasonable to expect the Paralympics or Special Olympics to be any more of an exemplar of that, than any other athletic competition? At the end of the day, the participants are still people... with ego, vanity, jealousy and whole gamut of human emotions. [1]: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090270/ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090270/

icegreentea 14y ago

It is easy to accept such a position. But then you find many cases where it IS acceptable for an athlete to cause harm to themselves. You would know, you were a wrestler. You knew the guys who just cut a bit. And then there were those monsters who cut nearly whole weight classes. And it wasn't just that they were undisciplined and screwed up and had to make up for it. Those are the lean mean killing machines, who somehow squeeze out a gallon of water from their bodies. And while temporary, it is most certainly dangerous. And they most definitely gain an advantage. Which comes back to, it's all relative. Acceptable behavior is not fixed. What is sportsmanlike is fluid, and changes between sports, and over time, and even geographically, and carries a great due of subtlety. For example, in basketball, intentional fouling is often a sound decision. North American Ultimate Frisbee is the most unsportsmenlike thing in the world according to the rest of the world. Major league baseball pitchers routinely (as in always) break the rules on how long they wait between pitches (and the batters are just happy to oblige). The whole thing is a complicated furball.