August 16, 2024 • 6 mins
Kevin Milne, like everyone, watched the Olympics. He loved the Olympics, but couldn’t help but notice the disappointment, tears, and heartbreak of many competitors. And it left him with a question: is high-level competitive sport worth it?
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Speaker 1 (00:07):
You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack Team podcast
from News Talk s B.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Kevin mill Is with us. First things first, this morning.
Speaker 3 (00:15):
You go to, Kevin, kill a Jack? What an awful
for Jack? Tame at the grumpy Mole.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Yeah, I know, it's not not a pretty one a
pretty sight. The thing is, I'm i mean, look, I'm
not going to be too critical of Raygun because you know,
you know, speaking of my own moves, I'm sort of
quite a limy dancer. You know, I've sort of got
it like an egg beater. Someone said once that it
was like a watching an albatross on stilts, right, So
(00:42):
not not pretty, But that being said, it is just amazing,
you know how you have these kind of little cultural moments,
and you know, heading into the Games, I don't think
many people would have expected thirty six year old university
lecturer Rachel Gunn to be the kind of icon of
the Games.
Speaker 3 (00:57):
But here we are. I'm one of those who haven't
seen seen her either. I've seen her name in print
for many times, but you've given me an excellent context.
I'm going to I'm going.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
To I don't know, Kevin, you can't have been on
social media all of this week. Literally every single social
media post this week has been Raygun has been her
doing the Kangaroo.
Speaker 3 (01:19):
I think may I may have seen it, but just
not kind of reacted because I didn't have your peace.
Yeahs now given me a reason to actually watch it.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
Yeah, well, there you go. And you've been reflecting on
the Olympics a bit as well, Kevin. You've been wondering
if actually competitive sport at the very highest level is
actually worth it.
Speaker 3 (01:39):
Yeah. Well, when I supported my daughter Tommy and her
swimming ambitions, Jack, when we head off to the pool
for training it ridiculously early hours. You'll remember I used
to do this show from pool side often, and when
we traveled to championship meetings all over the country. One
thing was in the back of my mind. Is all
(02:00):
this effort on my daughter's part worth it? Could the
fifteen hours training each week be better spent? I don't
mean another sport, I mean something non competitive, painting, photography,
playing in a band, a skillful life. Sure, being a
great swimmers handy if you fall off a boat, but
(02:21):
you can achieve that without fifteen hours training a week.
For four years. As it turned out, Tommy stayed in
competitive swimming until she was seventeen, felt she couldn't swim
any faster and gave it away with no regrets. I
loved watching the Olympics. I loved the achievements of the winners,
but I came away feeling I'd seen a lot of tears,
(02:43):
a lot of busy disappointment. I don't know about competitive
sport unless you're making big bucks out of it. When
you win, you're given something tougher to beat, and this
continues if you're lucky, right up to the Olympics, where
nearly everyone finally gets beaten. We rightly celebrate the winners,
(03:05):
but now my mind's on the losers. I wonder how
many who return home without medals will eventually wonder if
getting all the way to the Olympics was worth it. Yeah,
are the more useful ways to direct that extraordinary level
of effort and time and costs? You know something? Would
(03:26):
there be something that will help you more in later life?
With respect to the ancient Greeks, I think that might
be Jack.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
I'm sure there are, Kevin. That being said, I'll push
back your push back on you with a couple of points.
First of all, I think there are lots of intangible
things that practicing a sport to an elite level must
teach you, right, Like Tommy must have learned so many
skills about discipline and organization and self management, lots of
skills that are going to put in great step going
(03:55):
into later life.
Speaker 3 (03:56):
Right.
Speaker 2 (03:57):
I also wonder if the reason we love watching sport
at the elite level is that it's a really digestible
way to see the kind of streams of human emotion
in a forum that doesn't really matter. So you get
to see people like in total ecstasy, in the moments
of you know, in moments of glory, and then you
get to see people and moments of total pain and agony.
(04:19):
And actually there's something deeply human about being able to
share in those experiences.
Speaker 3 (04:25):
I don't know, that's just entertainment really from our point
of view. Yeah, thinking of the role and the effect
on the participant. Yeah, and they're not they're not paid actors, no,
of course. Well, I wonder first point.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
First, I mean, I think I think I think they've
become I'm not saying all sports are perfect, but they've
definitely become more aware of this, haven't they, and trying
to support athletes especially as you know, sport gets more
and more money in it, more and more eyeballs watching it,
the pressures on these athletes become more and more pronounced
and refined, and you would hope that actually most of
(05:01):
these athletes are able to step back and maintain some
perspective in their lives as well. Yeah, well, I mean
the way I think about it is I love it, yeah,
of course, And I always think, like you know, for
most people, just making the Olympics is such an achievement.
It's such an incredible thing. And I know it's very
easy to say that as someone who's never going to
(05:21):
make the Olympics. Well on this actually take up a
bit of breaking. I don't know there could be an
option there, but you know what I mean, Like for
most athletes, I think even just getting to the Games
is such an achievement. So it probably depends on how
you frame success.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
Yes, I guess, so, yeah, I guess I accept what
you're saying. I just think that what enormous amount of
time and effort. I mean, if you're if you pay,
if you're a rugby player or you're a golfer, ironically
both of them now and the Olympics but you're actually
getting paid anyway. Yeah, and you get paid for losing
(05:58):
as well as winning.
Speaker 2 (05:59):
No, that's right.
Speaker 3 (06:00):
If you're in a sport that's just aimed at the Olympics,
and you've spent years and years and thousands of dollars
and everything all your if it's all gone to getting
into the Olympics and you don't get a medal, I
just think wonder how many I just wonder how many
look back on all that when they're thirty and say,
(06:23):
I wish I'd actually done something else.
Speaker 2 (06:25):
Yeah, spent my time learning to code or learning Japanese
or something. Thanksgiving.
Speaker 1 (06:31):
For more from Saturday Morning with Jack Tame, listen live
to News Talks d B from nine am Saturday, or
follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack Team podcast
from News Talk s B.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Kevin mill Is with us. First things first, this morning.
Speaker 3 (00:15):
You go to, Kevin, kill a Jack? What an awful
for Jack? Tame at the grumpy Mole.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Yeah, I know, it's not not a pretty one a
pretty sight. The thing is, I'm i mean, look, I'm
not going to be too critical of Raygun because you know,
you know, speaking of my own moves, I'm sort of
quite a limy dancer. You know, I've sort of got
it like an egg beater. Someone said once that it
was like a watching an albatross on stilts, right, So
(00:42):
not not pretty, But that being said, it is just amazing,
you know how you have these kind of little cultural moments,
and you know, heading into the Games, I don't think
many people would have expected thirty six year old university
lecturer Rachel Gunn to be the kind of icon of
the Games.
Speaker 3 (00:57):
But here we are. I'm one of those who haven't
seen seen her either. I've seen her name in print
for many times, but you've given me an excellent context.
I'm going to I'm going.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
To I don't know, Kevin, you can't have been on
social media all of this week. Literally every single social
media post this week has been Raygun has been her
doing the Kangaroo.
Speaker 3 (01:19):
I think may I may have seen it, but just
not kind of reacted because I didn't have your peace.
Yeahs now given me a reason to actually watch it.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
Yeah, well, there you go. And you've been reflecting on
the Olympics a bit as well, Kevin. You've been wondering
if actually competitive sport at the very highest level is
actually worth it.
Speaker 3 (01:39):
Yeah. Well, when I supported my daughter Tommy and her
swimming ambitions, Jack, when we head off to the pool
for training it ridiculously early hours. You'll remember I used
to do this show from pool side often, and when
we traveled to championship meetings all over the country. One
thing was in the back of my mind. Is all
(02:00):
this effort on my daughter's part worth it? Could the
fifteen hours training each week be better spent? I don't
mean another sport, I mean something non competitive, painting, photography,
playing in a band, a skillful life. Sure, being a
great swimmers handy if you fall off a boat, but
(02:21):
you can achieve that without fifteen hours training a week.
For four years. As it turned out, Tommy stayed in
competitive swimming until she was seventeen, felt she couldn't swim
any faster and gave it away with no regrets. I
loved watching the Olympics. I loved the achievements of the winners,
but I came away feeling I'd seen a lot of tears,
(02:43):
a lot of busy disappointment. I don't know about competitive
sport unless you're making big bucks out of it. When
you win, you're given something tougher to beat, and this
continues if you're lucky, right up to the Olympics, where
nearly everyone finally gets beaten. We rightly celebrate the winners,
(03:05):
but now my mind's on the losers. I wonder how
many who return home without medals will eventually wonder if
getting all the way to the Olympics was worth it. Yeah,
are the more useful ways to direct that extraordinary level
of effort and time and costs? You know something? Would
(03:26):
there be something that will help you more in later life?
With respect to the ancient Greeks, I think that might
be Jack.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
I'm sure there are, Kevin. That being said, I'll push
back your push back on you with a couple of points.
First of all, I think there are lots of intangible
things that practicing a sport to an elite level must
teach you, right, Like Tommy must have learned so many
skills about discipline and organization and self management, lots of
skills that are going to put in great step going
(03:55):
into later life.
Speaker 3 (03:56):
Right.
Speaker 2 (03:57):
I also wonder if the reason we love watching sport
at the elite level is that it's a really digestible
way to see the kind of streams of human emotion
in a forum that doesn't really matter. So you get
to see people like in total ecstasy, in the moments
of you know, in moments of glory, and then you
get to see people and moments of total pain and agony.
(04:19):
And actually there's something deeply human about being able to
share in those experiences.
Speaker 3 (04:25):
I don't know, that's just entertainment really from our point
of view. Yeah, thinking of the role and the effect
on the participant. Yeah, and they're not they're not paid actors, no,
of course. Well, I wonder first point.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
First, I mean, I think I think I think they've
become I'm not saying all sports are perfect, but they've
definitely become more aware of this, haven't they, and trying
to support athletes especially as you know, sport gets more
and more money in it, more and more eyeballs watching it,
the pressures on these athletes become more and more pronounced
and refined, and you would hope that actually most of
(05:01):
these athletes are able to step back and maintain some
perspective in their lives as well. Yeah, well, I mean
the way I think about it is I love it, yeah,
of course, And I always think, like you know, for
most people, just making the Olympics is such an achievement.
It's such an incredible thing. And I know it's very
easy to say that as someone who's never going to
(05:21):
make the Olympics. Well on this actually take up a
bit of breaking. I don't know there could be an
option there, but you know what I mean, Like for
most athletes, I think even just getting to the Games
is such an achievement. So it probably depends on how
you frame success.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
Yes, I guess, so, yeah, I guess I accept what
you're saying. I just think that what enormous amount of
time and effort. I mean, if you're if you pay,
if you're a rugby player or you're a golfer, ironically
both of them now and the Olympics but you're actually
getting paid anyway. Yeah, and you get paid for losing
(05:58):
as well as winning.
Speaker 2 (05:59):
No, that's right.
Speaker 3 (06:00):
If you're in a sport that's just aimed at the Olympics,
and you've spent years and years and thousands of dollars
and everything all your if it's all gone to getting
into the Olympics and you don't get a medal, I
just think wonder how many I just wonder how many
look back on all that when they're thirty and say,
(06:23):
I wish I'd actually done something else.
Speaker 2 (06:25):
Yeah, spent my time learning to code or learning Japanese
or something. Thanksgiving.
Speaker 1 (06:31):
For more from Saturday Morning with Jack Tame, listen live
to News Talks d B from nine am Saturday, or
follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
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