Dome Pondering

I sat on this topic for a few days because I could not understand what was beneath the surface of the hysteria that is Simone Biles and her recent withdrawals from events at the Tokyo Olympics.  Here we are on one of the biggest stages in sports - the biggest for niche-interest sports like Gymnastics - and suddenly the greatest gymnast in the world, our own fully spirited American, being torn down, ridiculed, debated, and on the backend of undeserving backlash.  There were the low-hanging fruit remarks - I go to work every day. I can't just quit because I want to!! You just have to love the remarks from those who easily want to compare themselves to Simone Biles but are unable to understand her experience. We all have hardships. But imagine naivete to compare yourself to an Olympic Gold medalist?

For some reason, the Olympics have taken my attention by storm. The event sort of crept up on me without much anticipation, but has become a mainstay on my nightly television despite some self-sabotaging efforts from NBC. More on that in a bit. Regardless, here are some quick takeaways from the first week of action.  - How freakin' amazing is Michael Phelps? At the point of this writing, Phelps sits at 22 Gold Medals (26 overall). Let me say that again, that's twenty-two freakin' gold medals! One is a major accomplishment for any athlete. Two is extraordinary. Mmmmmm, we can say four is legendary. Phelps has twenty two. Twenty flippin two!  The more you watch Phelps in his races, and the metal focus he embodies that comes before his races (see: #PhelpsFace), the more I realize how lucky we are to witness this era of sheer Olympic dominance. Amazing stuff. 

I absolutely love the Olympics Games. It’s such a spectacle that the ultimate fan of sports must love. And while sports and business will always be tied together, the Olympic Games are the closest event in sport that is as pure and straight forward as competing for integrity and pride. There is that specific novelty and admiration that we have for Olympic athletes  that bear the colors of their nation in competition. It is the stage of dreams, nightmares and Cinderella stories, where even the smallest of nations have their opportunity to compete. Pure competition. No salary cap. No debate over small-market vs. large market spending. No free agency. No hold outs. No contract extensions or opt outs.

B-R-E-T-T. Brett, Brett, Brett!! For the time being, that chant is falling on deaf ears as Brett Favre has been pushed off the main pages and out of the headlines. And with the coverage Favre has been drawing for his momentous change in uniform (shade of green), it would take a special event and person to do so. Especially, in the world of ESPN. Right now, everyone wants to be like Mike. Michael Phelps that is. What Michael Phelps has accomplished in Beijing in the 2008 Olympics far exceeds the standard of special. Phelps' accomplishments were historic, impressive and downright transcending. If you had the opportunity to witness one of Phelps' races in the Olympics you understand the magnitude of his feat. Phelps' ability to not only defeat the best in the world, but dominate them by body lengths is immeasurable. He possesses the type of God-given ability that causes you to shake your head in disbelief of his athleticism, poise, and dominance. Simply put, Michael ...