The endless cycle of news stories, social media posts and video clips from an event as overwhelming as a Summer Olympics means you can overlook the things that matter most.
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A brief interview with Team USA’s Kevin Durant following his team’s come-from-behind semi-final victory over Nikola Jokic’s Serbia on Thursday night was a reminder that the Olympics – expensive, dysfunctional and often unfair – holds relevance like never before.
“How can you not celebrate a win like that?” Durant told USA Basketball as he ate his dinner, with a glass of red wine in front of him, hours after the 95-91 victory. “Look at our families. That’s what it’s about. Coming together on the other side of world like that. It’s special tonight, man. You gotta celebrate. We want to win the gold, but you need to celebrate the small moments, too. Everyone here will remember this night for the rest of their lives. We showed in that fourth quarter how special we are.”
American golfer Scottie Scheffler won gold at Le Golf National with wife Meredith, three-month-old son Bennett and parents Scott and Diane in the stands, and openly wept on the podium when the Star-Spangled Banner was played.
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Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz, who contested the men’s tennis final at Roland Garros, both cried after the final.
If this is how they feel about the Olympics, what of those who compete in sports for which this is their greatest measure of success? In which they earn very little money in comparison to basketball, golf and tennis icons?
Real Andrew Webster’s Saturday column from Paris here.
