Be a Good Sport

Sometimes, the Olympics is a hit and miss for me. In the previous Olympics  I got emotionally invested in some of the stories, and I liked the fact that people like Rick Hansen would take his part in giving us the background of some of our finest athletes. I don't doubt that the athletes showcased within the Olympics are very skilled and kindhearted people, but I just wish that we saw more of the Paralympics. Growing up, I was never into sports, because I was under the impression that because I had cerebral palsy I could not participate in them. Every time I was sad down in front of the TV screen, and I heard the sounds of a  game, I never saw anyone that I could relate to. Of course I knew who the great were like Wayne Gretzky and Ty Domi, and I had even met them in my youth, but I always knew I was different from the sports stars I saw on TV. Though the coverage of the Paralympics seems to be improving this year with a reported 151 hours of coverage, I believe that it deserves full coverage. The Olympics tends to send the message that you can achieve anything you dream of, if you only work hard enough. I think that the disabled community children or otherwise, could use more of the uplifting effect of that message as well, and see it though a lense they can relate to, and people they can identify with. I can honestly say that if I had seen more paralympic sports as a child, and even now I wouldn't  be so impartial to sports. Disabled youth of today need to see that anything  is possible, no matter what your situation is, that you don't necessarily need to stand on a podium to make your country proud.