The Olympics are on TV (all the time, yet seldom live), and as such we have engaged, as has the world over, in the irony that is hours of butt-couch (an actual game my roommates and I played in college that determined a champion by who could stay on the couch the longest without getting up) while watching incredibly fit and inspiring people be fit and inspiring.
Some guy, whom I am too lazy to Google (see “butt-couch”), that officially works for the Olympics, made a comment about how women only watch said Olympics for the stories, not the competitions they lead to, which, obviously, makes that guy an idiot and not worth a Googling. It was just one more misogynistic moment in an Olympics marred by them, disrespectful to the athletes and the audience. Besides, the competitions are part of the stories, and that’s the reason most of us, of all stripes, watch the Olympics. Does the Olympic governing body really think I, your average man, have any real interest in every sport they feature? Or any of them? It’s the stories, people. For instance, I managed to get by for four years without thinking about badminton, and I’m fairly certain that I’ll be able to survive for four more, but this week I’m staying up until two in the morning because BADMINTON is everything. But mostly stories. And sweet moves:
However, some stories are bigger than the Olympics. For instance:
Seriously.
Think about that story. Think about that reality. Think about Yusra Mardini and the many, many people she represents.
This year, for the first time ever, Team Refugees is competing in the Olympic games (under the Olympic flag), and they are as inspiring of a group as one could ever hope for—their experiences tragic, their hope in every breath. Theirs is a story that affects us all.
Learn more about Team Refugees. Learn their stories and the reality of them. Show your support.
And screw that guy that works for the Olympics. We’re all watching for the stories. And sometimes badminton.
Use the hashtag #TeamRefugees and follow the team on Twitter.
Whit Honea is the co-founder of Dads 4 Change, the Social Media Director and Community Manager of Dad 2.0 Summit as well as a Senior Account Executive at the conference’s parent company: XY Media Group. Deemed “the activist dad” by UpWorthy (and one of the “funniest dads on Twitter” by Mashable), he is a regular contributor to The Modern Dads Podcast and the author of The Parents’ Phrase Book—a family guide to empathy.
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