The irrepressible London Daily Mail’s headline screamed: “Sofa Snackers Take Gold!”
Reportedly, the “average Brit piled on 4.2 pounds during the two weeks of the Games.”
Does anyone doubt that many Americans more than met the English challenge in this respect?
The National Pastime
With some dissension, it used to be said that baseball is the American “national pastime.”
Others made the case for football. And so on.
Today, it cannot be said that playing any sport is the national pastime.
Watching other people play sports is now the national pastime.
The Problem Feeds on Itself
To make things worse, the London Olympics featured a barrage of global television ads purveying unhealthy foods.
McDonalds and Coca-Cola were prime sponsors.
What did the companies receive? An unparalleled opportunity to convey an unexamined impression, linking their products to a healthy lifestyle, even a life of Olympian accomplishment.
A Nation of Spectators?
There’s certainly nothing wrong with being a spectator now and again. Even the most driven individual should make time for diversion, or to be inspired by an exceptional artistic performance, or any glimpse of excellence in action.
And yet....When watching sports or symphonies or anything else becomes a substitute for living one’s own life, it merits a gut check.
Theodore Roosevelt Warns Against Spectator Living
Theodore Roosevelt, who admired and participated vigorously in athletics, warned against spectator living.
He responded memorably to an invitation to watch a professional baseball game: “I will not sit for two hours and a half, and watch someone else doe something.”
What About You?
That you’re reading this indicates you’re likely the antithesis of spectator living.
Is it sneaking up on you? Or are people you care about falling into it?
When so many among us are heading toward obesity as a way of life, perhaps it’s time for caring leaders to weigh in.
Perhaps it’s time for all of us to pull back a bit on being spectators. Perhaps we should spend more time on the field–figuratively and literally.
Did You Gain Weight During the Olympics?
