The Olympics were a welcome reminder that it’s not all about the money

A week after winning an Olympic Gold Medal and being reduced to tears as the Star Spangled Banner rang out at Le Golf National, Scottie Scheffler’s bank account received another seven-figure deposit as the $8,000,000 (less taxes) prize for topping the Comcast Business Tour Top 10 rankings was shelled out.

$8 million, and I’ll wager that he didn’t so much as crack a beer or pop a bottle of bubbly to celebrate. I mean, what’s another eight million when you’ve already banked $28 million and change in on-course earnings, probably doubled that off the course, and there’ll likely be another $18 million coming in three weeks’ time.

The Olympic Games are an incredible spectacle, make for fantastic television, shine a light on otherwise fringe sports that exist in virtual anonymity for the 206 weeks in between, and stir national pride in unrivalled fashion. But whiter than white, they certainly aren’t.

Back when I was a student at U.C.D., I took the ‘History of Sport’ module, delivered by Professor Paul Rouse, and given that I was a History student and sports fanatic, it was the most enjoyable single module I’ve ever taken. Among the many standout memories, however, was Rouse’s deep-seated dislike for the Olympics as an institution, for the corruption, the cheating, the way the Games have been used to promote political, ideological and racial agendas, and any number of other dirty little secrets that exist in the Games’ shadows.

I remain highly influenced by him and his opinions to this day, but in spite of this, I’ve still found myself watching the four subsequent Olympic Games and getting highly invested in dozens of the sports and the various disciplines and individuals within, even though the sceptic in me has a hard time believing that sport is cleaner now. Human nature is human nature, and the desire to be the best, coupled with the suspicion that opponents are doing anything necessary to get ahead, makes it all the more likely that most if not all of the elite performers are engaging in dark arts, but that’s another issue for another day.