There are some weeks when I struggled to find five articles worth sharing on sports. But this was not one of them. Thursday evening I counted the articles from the week that I had over twenty that merited consideration. I have picked six -- but you may only get access to five as one may be behind the WSJ pay wall. Obviously there is a big Olympic theme this week.
I was disappointed seven years ago when Chicago did not get the Olympic bid. I think the bid might've changed the city in all sorts of positive ways. I knew people on the bid committee and it was a no-brainer to me that Chicago would get it. But somehow Rio won. The case for the Rio bid probably revolved around South America never hosting the Olympics. The world has changed a lot since 2009 and now we are faced with possibly the most compromised summer Olympics in history with reports of venues not completed, Zika virus, political upheaval not to mention issues within the IOC and Olympic sports in general with on going doping cover-ups. So the first article I suggest you read is How To Watch The Olympics: A Guide for Conflicted Viewers. I think Chicago area Olympic viewers may be some of the most conflicted viewers on earth.
One of the best thing about the Olympics to me may be the stories behind the athletes. When ABC TV covered the Olympics, Up Close and Personals were what these stories were called. There have been lots of articles written about athletes this week. One I don't want you to miss is about high jumper Inika McPherson. She is 5'4" and high jumps 6'6". Her road to Rio has been as bumpy as any and one of my colleagues from GAIN Patrick Pyle is her coach. Read here story here: Inch for inch Inika Mcpherson Might Be The Most Talented High Jumper in the World.
Maybe the best article I read this week, though, was about American sprinter Houston McTear. He might've been the greatest sprinter to never make it to the Olympics. His life was full of the potential of early talent. But due to the poverty he grew up in and some bad luck, he was never able to maximize his potential. The Slow Descent of Houston McTear -- the Greatest Natural Sprinter Ever
Maybe equal to the McTear article, I also really enjoyed this article on focusing on the process not the outcome in sports and life. Why Having Big Goals Can Backfire. Olympians Show Us What to Focus on Instead
This next article is probably behind the WSJ paywall. Email me if you want a copy. I have a PDF. A Coach's Influence Off The Field.
To make sure you get five articles this week, this article on the famous Swim Coach Doc Counsilman and the 1976 USA Mens Olympic Swim Team was my runner-up. I think it both captures what made Counsilman special but also what it might take to get a team on a roll. Docs Boys: The Story of the Dominant US Swim Team from 1976
I will likely be commenting almost every day about the Olympics over the next 2 weeks. Should be an interesting time.
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