A word to the silver medalists..

I'm no athlete (let alone an Olympian) so on one hand I'm about the last person qualified to make this particular argument. On the other hand, I'm an American who loves to see American athletes perform well at the Olympics, so I'm just as qualified as the next guy to pick a bone with the host of athletes that seem to see a silver or bronze medal as "a devastating loss."

I watched Allyson Felix run a beautiful 200 meters and win a silver medal for the US. You'd think she'd been disqualified in the quarterfinals for all of the disappointed tears she shed. I understand that you train for the gold. I understand that being called the "Olympic Favorite" empowers you with a certain feeling of inevitability that means you fall harder and faster back to the earth when you're edged out by a super-human Jamaican with whom you've got a "friendly rivalry," but for a moment, appreciate the fact that you're basically the best in the world. There's only one other person on the planet at that moment in time that's any better than you. You're standing on a medal podium before all the world, the best of the best, as good as they come. You've trained, you've run, you've won! Cry, if you must - but cry tears of JOY! You've worked hard to get where you stand!

Cry if you drop the baton. Cry if you tumble over a hurdle. Cry for a false start or a busted Achilles or a "big splash" or a two-step on the landing. Cry when you're out of bounds or disqualified. Don't cry because you beat all of 'em....but one. Don't cry because you ran your hardest, gave your best and came in second to one. Be proud of yourself, be proud of your hard work, be proud of your country, be proud of your OLYMPIC MEDAL.

I'll never have one. I'll never know what it's like to stand up on that podium and lean down to have a medal hung around my neck. I'll never know what it's like to represent my country in athletic competition. I'll never be such a finely tuned machine, such an excellent example of what a human body can accomplish. There's a reason they award three medals - it's EXCELLENT to be second or third in the world. Its an amazing feat.

Be proud.