To be annoyed with the idolisation of Olympic athletes?

[Floogal]

Sick of this every 4 years. I am not against the Olympics per se. I like watching the judo, boxing, handball and volleyball. But these points explain why I find hero worship of athletes annoying.

1. People are very quick to moan about how footballers are overpaid for simply playing football. Or Connor McGregor being on benefits while training to be in the UFC. They are fair points, however Olympic atheltes paid a healthy income and have a lot of their expenses paid for.
2. Similar to the previous point, I hate the way they are lauded by the media and given honours for doing something that pays quite well and that they enjoy.
3. I remember last week we were watching ITV news. There was a feature about private sector carers being overworked and underpaid and how it impacts their personal lives. Later there was a documentary about Olympic athletes, many going on about sacrificing their leisure and family lives. Bit hard to feel sorry for them.
4. The government and media (as well as professional athletes) like to go on about how obese and unhealthy most people are. Well most people would love to only worry about excercise and nutrition, but SOME OF US HAVE TO WORK FOR A LIVING!
5. This point has been touched upon by the media and few recent MN threads. Many of the athletes come from affluent backgrounds!
6. The athletes featured on the Purple Bricks adverts come across as really unpleasant. Bit of a backfire.

What does everyone else think?

I might have to have a look at Love Island. You all make it sound, erm...

They are all ametur. Professional athletes can't compete in the Olympics

How does that work with the tennis players?

I think their hard work and dedication is worth idolising.

This. One who lives very near me won a medal last night. He's in his early 20s. For the last ten years he's been training and competing in a not very glamorous bit of London, with lots of family support and not much else. I am totally indifferent to most organised sport but when I saw he'd won I got a lump in my throat. Most athletes are similar. Insane levels of sacrifice and dedication on their parts and their families'.

Most are not well paid.
All dedicate many years to their sports and sacrifice a great deal
Demonstrating dedication, commitment, bravery, confidence, perseverance, teamwork - all great skills worthy of admiration.

Or we could idolise the stars of Love Island.

I worked in elite sport for 13 years - the vast majority earn a pittance and can lose their funding at a moment’s notice. Some governing bodies ask that they go into a centralised programme - eg hockey, cycling, Rae kwondo, where they all live and train together, so there is no opportunity to go to uni. Some of our athletes did OU degrees (paid for by themselves). Some get personal sponsorship, but that’s not often cash, it’s value in kind, so gels, nutrition bars, kit, but that doesn’t pay bills. They also don’t get a pension, so an athlete could find themselves not selected for the squad at 30, no job, only school qualifications, no work experience, and no early start with a pension. It’s not a position I’d want to be in.

@Floogal

Sick of this every 4 years. I am not against the Olympics per se. I like watching the judo, boxing, handball and volleyball. But these points explain why I find hero worship of athletes annoying.

1. People are very quick to moan about how footballers are overpaid for simply playing football. Or Connor McGregor being on benefits while training to be in the UFC. They are fair points, however Olympic atheltes paid a healthy income and have a lot of their expenses paid for.
2. Similar to the previous point, I hate the way they are lauded by the media and given honours for doing something that pays quite well and that they enjoy.
3. I remember last week we were watching ITV news. There was a feature about private sector carers being overworked and underpaid and how it impacts their personal lives. Later there was a documentary about Olympic athletes, many going on about sacrificing their leisure and family lives. Bit hard to feel sorry for them.
4. The government and media (as well as professional athletes) like to go on about how obese and unhealthy most people are. Well most people would love to only worry about excercise and nutrition, but SOME OF US HAVE TO WORK FOR A LIVING!
5. This point has been touched upon by the media and few recent MN threads. Many of the athletes come from affluent backgrounds!
6. The athletes featured on the Purple Bricks adverts come across as really unpleasant. Bit of a backfire.

What does everyone else think?

Well this is embarrassing op! 😳

I taught an Olympic athlete when he was a university student. The amount of training that he fitted in around his studies was amazing. 10 miles run before a 9 o’clock lecture, doing exams in a corner of a training camp in the alps. You had to admire his dedication. He certainly wasn’t well paid, competing in a niche sport that the U.K. isn’t strong in. We all celebrated his 75th place enthusiastically though, because it was about a million places better than we could ever aspire to.

I shared a flat with an aspiring Olympic canoeist, she was up at 5 every morning, sometimes breaking the ice on the canal where she trained. She competed most weekends so worked a lot harder than the rest of us through the week, as well as training almost every evening too. She didn’t quite make it and certainly never made money out of it.

This. One who lives very near me won a medal last night. He's in his early 20s. For the last ten years he's been training and competing in a not very glamorous bit of London, with lots of family support and not much else. I am totally indifferent to most organised sport but when I saw he'd won I got a lump in my throat. Most athletes are similar. Insane levels of sacrifice and dedication on their parts and their families

Alex?

@Midnightballerina

They are all ametur. Professional athletes can't compete in the Olympics. If you're not interested don't watch, it's easy to avoid. Good luck to them, what an achievement to get there.

Yes they can.

I actually think there will be athletes from a variety of backgrounds depending on the sport. Some of the more niche sports or pursuits I think will have athletes from more affluent backgrounds (modern pentathlon, dressage, shooting, fencing etc,) but I think football, athletics, swimming will be from a wider range of backgrounds.
Carers and nurses are underpaid and overworked but I'm not sure how that's linked to the Olympics...? That doesnt take away from the fact that a lot of athletes will have made sacrifices to be at the very top level.

I love the Olympics and Paralympics and get engrossed in all sorts of sports I don't know the rules of, or didnt know I would enjoy (watching). Its super cheesy but for me its like a celebration of hardwork, natural talent, dedication and what the human bodý can acheive. And the drama of competition. And it's nice to watch something uplifting when in current times there is a lot of quite sombre news.

I love the Olympics. I think all Olympians deserve respect for the drive, dedication, motivation and determination they show to succeed in their passion. Those are excellent qualities to encourage and instill into our children.

An 18 yr old Tunisian came out of nowhere to win gold in the swimming yesterday. His face when he realised he’d won was amazing. There are so many youngsters competing this year. Swimmers aged 14, 15, 16....a 12 year old skateboarder. I think it’s brilliant. If our kids are going to idolise anyone I’d rather it be an Olympian than a reality star.

@UpstreamSwimmer

I don't get the idolisation of any athlete, Olympic or otherwise. So you manage to run a bit faster or kick more balls into a net than other people. So what? I mean it's very impressive and all, but not really something to look up to. This hasn't helped humanity in any way.

The 'idolisation' comes from admiration for the amount of work they put in to 'run a bit faster'.

It doesn't just happen, it takes a lot of work, dedication and sacrifice.

Bloody hell, in a world of "celebrity z-lists", TOWIE, Influencers, Big Brother, the royal family.. worshipped for .. being on tv?

give me athletes any day.
Who else can make decent role models and be inspirational?

Having people being so jealous and bitter about them, now that's new I am sure you can make a sad face in the DM if you contact them.

As everyone said, most get paid a pittance. Given the hours of training they do their hourly rates will be less than minimum wage.

If some come from affluent backgrounds it's exactly because elite sport is so expensive. More funding increases access not limits it.

Tom Daly just won a gold after 20 YEARS of competing. He and his partner won by 1 point. Imagine everything you do to succeed in your life and be the best you can, resting on the the equivalent of the angle your foot went into the pool at the end of a double pike twisting double somersault (or whatever ...).

Jessica Ennis had the weight of entire country on her shoulders in 2012. She then won the World Title in 2015 a year after having a baby and in 2016 an Olympic silver.

Helen Glover has come back to compete at Olympic level rowing this year after having 3 kids, including 18month old twins

I think they are all mad. I don't idolise but I do admire them, a lot.

You obviously have no idea what you’re talking about OP. How embarrassing.

Aren’t you a bundle of laughs..

YABU

These people dedicate their lives to their sports.

Often having to work alongside as it's not like football.

I think they deserve all the idolising they get for the next few weeks.

Wish I'd been as dedicated to anything, ever!!

Yabu

I’m similar to lazylinguist 51 and i have never chosen to watch it

Its on now cos we have two fans in the house 😀

Jessica Ennis had the weight of entire country on her shoulders in 2012. She then won the World Title in 2015 a year after having a baby and in 2016 an Olympic silver

Helen Glover has come back to compete at Olympic level rowing this year after having 3 kids, including 18month old twins

I find this quite incredible and should be talked about much more than it is

Where is op now??

After her cringey first rant her last post was just 3 words ..... not so confidant now

I think if I was the OP, I’d quietly go off and name change after giving my head a good wobble

At least athletes have a lot of talent.

Unlike the vacuous influencers who somehow get people to follow them because they post about make-up.

I know which type of person I have time for. They work incredibly hard, put their bodies through the mill, often have a job alongside as only the very best get funding and the absolute cream get meaningful sponsorship.

1. People are very quick to moan about how footballers are overpaid for simply playing football. Or Connor McGregor being on benefits while training to be in the UFC. They are fair points, however Olympic atheltes paid a healthy income and have a lot of their expenses paid for.

and

Think in USA the athletes pretty much have to fund themselves.

OP, you've just contradicted yourself there.

I know an Olympic level athlete who has a full time job to support himself and has no extra income at all. Certainly no sponserships.

I hugely admire any one who has the talent and puts themselves through the hours and hours of training to be at that level in their sport. They are amazing role models to young people and I applaud them.

@Gerwurtztraminer I love your post! How anyone can scoff at these ppl is beyond me. I love the diving and I was bloody proud of those two boys this morning.

I worked with someone whose team went on to win Gold at the Olympics. Our boss was constantly complaining about this guy having to leave 30 mins early twice a week to go and train (on top of all the weekend stuff obviously). When the guy came back with his Gold medal suddenly the boss was all over him and he could do no wrong. Believe me it was incredibly tough for him to train and balance work.