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Is Winning an Olympic Gold Medal Actually a Waste of Time?

Stephen Douglas

Aug 4, 2024; Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France; Scottie Scheffler of Team United States reacts after winning the gold medal in menís individual stroke play during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Le Golf National. Mandatory Credit: Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 4, 2024; Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France; Scottie Scheffler of Team United States reacts after winning the gold medal in menís individual stroke play during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Le Golf National. Mandatory Credit: Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports / Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports

We are now more than halfway through the 2024 Paris Olympics and we have seen some pretty big names compete so far. Once every four years the Olympics offer athletes we don't often recognize an opportunity to shine on the biggest stage. The Games also offer talking heads a chance to discuss a lot of things they don't normally think about. Which gives them the opportunity to not think normally.

Combining the Olympics with our standard debate-centric 24/7 news cycle can lead to some wild or unnecessary takes. For instance, the debate about how important a medal actually is when you compare it to a victory in our standard sporting landscape.

This morning on Unsportsmanlike Radio with Evan, Canty and Michelle, producer Pat Costello downplayed the importance of Scottie Scheffler's gold medal.

"Are the three of us nuts here," said Costello. "We all think that winning a major on the PGA Tour is significantly bigger than winning a gold medal. Winning an NBA title is significantly bigger than winning a gold medal."

While the majors may be bigger, there's no question the gold was pretty damn special to Scheffler who cried as he took the podium and listened to the Star-Spangled Banner play.

As for whether an NBA title is bigger than winning a gold medal, Devin Booker agrees. After watching Noah Lyles win the 100 meters on Sunday, Booker reiterated his opinion that winning an NBA championship is harder than winning a gold medal. Lyles had brought up the comparison last summer and his victory over the weekend revived the conversation.

Speaking of Lyles, on Yahoo!'s Maggie and Perloff, Maggie Gray wished that Noah Lyles hadn't been so excited about winning gold yesterday because the race was so close.

"Can you really go around claiming I'm the fastest. I'm the greatest. I'm this that and the other thing when you won by five one-hundredths of a second," asked Gray. "This is not exactly Usain Bolt throwing up deuces like a peace sign to the guys behind him like Tyreek Hill streaking into the end zone. You won by five one-hundredths of a second. There needs to be a little more humility when you win by five one-hundredths of a second."

Hopefully, Lyles can win the 200 with ease so he's allowed to celebrate. If not, he might have to give back the gold from the 100.

One athlete whose performance you assume would be beyond reproach is Simone Biles, who had won three gold medals in gymnastics coming into this week. And yet Jon Weiner from the Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz didn't like the way she won one of those medals.

"She won a gold on the vault for simply being Simone Biles," said Stugotz. "Respectfully. And Rebeca Andrade, whatever her name is, this Brazilian. She is so good. Here's what I like with the vault, Dan. I need you to stick the landing. I don't like any hops. Okay? Simone Biles hopped on both her vaults and Rebeca did not. I don't care how high you jump. I don't care how many twists and turns you do. You need to stick the landing. Rebeca stuck it twice. Simone did not."

Biles will now leave Paris with three golds, one silver and an asterisk. It makes you wonder what an athlete has to do to make their success worthwhile to themselves or anyone else. When people can still find something wrong with a gold medal in the Olympics, it doesn't seem possible.

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Stephen Douglas

STEPHEN DOUGLAS

Stephen Douglas is a Senior Writer on the Breaking & Trending News Team at Sports Illustrated. He has been in journalism and media since 2008, and now casts a wide net with coverage across all sports. Stephen spent more than a decade with The Big Lead and has previously written for Uproxx and The Sporting News. He has three children, two degrees and one now unverified Twitter account.

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