Ryan Lochte: a Modern Tragic Hero The 2016 Rio olympics game has been a hot topic around the world recently. On the swimmers’ end Ryan Lochte’s case is the biggest topic other than Michael Phelps taking 23 gold medals and breaking the record that lasted for 2000 years. Ryan Lochte claimed that he was robbed by armed men who identified themselves as police officers that a gas station is Rio de Janeiro on August 14th, 2016. Later, the Rio official addresses that the “robbery” never occurred, in contrast. Ryan Lochte and other these swimmers damaged public properties at the gas station which caused the security guards to present his gun. Due to the incidence, Ryan Lochte could be identified as a modern tragic hero since he fulfill the three characteristics of a tragic hero: high status, a tragic flaw ,and downfall. First of all, Ryan Lochte fit the characteristic of a tragic hero since he is in position of one of the greatest athletes in history ,and people expect more out of him. He is referred to an extremely successful swimmer by Forbes Stating “He is the second most decorated olympic …show more content…
Some may say that the robbery at the gas station indeed occurred, but it is obvious that the swimmers were offering money to the police initially, it is proven by the video recorded by the cameras at the gas station. Through the Rio robbery scandal, Ryan Lochte fulfilled the three common characteristics of a tragic hero, therefore, he can be identified as modern tragic hero. He was in the position of high expectation since he is the greatest swimmer in the U.S. without naming Michael Phelps; he introduced his immaturity to the world as a tragic a tragic flaw; and at the end, his immaturity lead to consequences and a great hit to his reputation. The tragic story of Ryan Lochte remind us that high reputation and high status is maintained with
Over the last several years, it has become undeniable that any kind of sport can, and will, be sensationalized and commercialized by the people from the great companies like “Coca-Cola, Pepsi Cola, and Marlboro” (1667). These companies have hundreds of thousands of dollars budgeted each year to pour into sports in the form of sponsorships, advertising, etc. Once the sponsorships are introduced into a sport, it is exactly the kind of thing that will push an athlete out of competition. An athlete will find himself in a “make-it or break-it” situation. If an athlete receives a sponsorship, then the money is free flowing for equipment, testing, training, etc – anything that the athlete wants or needs to aid in putting him...
We see that in the reading “Mundanity of Excellence,” by Daniel F Chambliss, the focus is on nature of excellence as it pertains to Olympic swimming. Mr. Chambliss supplies the reader with his experience and sociological approach to his theory that “talent is useless.” I will now provide you with a brief commentary on how sociology relates to developing human talent. It is perceived that one’s natural goal is to accomplish perfection in a “talent” or gift. This ranges from numerous types of talents whether it is sports, entertainment, acting, or even a technical skill. In a sociologist way of thinking we realize that excellence is not only achieved by quantitative or qualitative improvements, it encompasses several factors. I want to
How would you feel if your one mistake caused you to lose everything that is important to you? This happens to multiple celebrities, but one professional athlete it affects severely is Tiger Woods. According to Golf.com, Tiger lost everything from his personal relationships, to a yield in his professional career, all because he made the mistake of cheating on his wife. He contains many of the characteristics that one can consider him to be a tragic hero. One Greek tragedy that portrays a similar situation is Antigone by Sophocles. Creon makes the mistake of not listening to others, which causes him to lose all his loved ones and his kingdom. He best fits the mold of a tragic hero because he has the tragic flaw of excessive pride and he experiences an increased awareness.
In “The Real Scandal,” Sharon Begley and Martha Brant develop an argument against the tacit allowance of the use of “banned” performance-enhancing drugs among Olympic athletes. The 1999 Newsweek cover story details incidents involving individual athletes caught using banned substances, the continuous race between the discovery and detection of new performance-enhancing drugs, and examples of the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC’s) complacency. In particular, the authors question the validity of the IOC’s current drug testing policies and protocols within the context of their self-defined role to “lead the fight against doping in sport” and “encourage and support measures protecting the health of athletes” (Organization). In order to better argue against doping in sport and advocate for more efficient and rigorous drug testing, Begley and Brant employ emotional appeals, logic, and a kairotic stance within their writing to persuade their audience of the necessity of firm action by the IOC and the worldwide community on the subject of performance-enhancing drug abuse.
It was said by The New York Times that the 1972 Munich Olympics hostage crisis ruined the spirit of the Olympic Games forever. However, "The Blood of Israel" does not portray the crisis as a spoiler for the Games. Serge Groussard captured the spirit of the Olympic Games in describing the last moments of the captured Israelis' lives. Groussard explains how they fought until their deaths like true competitors, true Olympians. Both sources acknowledge the bad that came out of that day, but only "The Blood of Israel" mentions the good.
Lance Armstrong’s pride could not let defeat end his career, so it impaled him to cheat. Nevertheless, “Lance Armstrong is also being asked to pay back millions of dollars. And the term ‘Armstrong era’ is now apparently a moniker of widespread cheating” (Levs 1). This outcome was amiss from the prominent title that Armstrong dreamed of when he started cheating, and what hubris brought to him was a notorious name people look down upon. Furthermore, not only was wealth taken away from him, but the Cycling Union president, Pat McQuaid also said, “Lance Armstrong has no place in cycling … Armstrong is also banned from the sport” (Levs 1). Everything that Armstrong had, including his passion, wealth, and reputation, was in tatters by the act of cheating derived from pride. This absurd choice he made set him up for an “epic downfall.” Thus, Lance Armstrong’s story illustrates the dangers of pride, something that can take away everything one has just by one absurd
There’s no doubt the Olympics Games went well. Not only did Brazil win the men’s soccer gold, the American team brought a gold medal in women’s gymnastics, swimming, and track for us here at home. And although it may seem like fun for everyone, there’s another side of the story. Homes were destroyed, people mugged, and contaminated substances were ingested. Were all the hardships really worth it? At Telemundo, we think otherwise.
Good morning ms shaw n fellow classmates today I will be talking about the importance of Ian Thorpe’s influence on popular CULTUIRE and how he influenced the future not only on a local scale but on national and international scale
Thesis: Professional golfer Tiger Woods is a modern-day tragic hero because his flaw of excessive pride directly led to the destruction of both his personal relationships and his professional career. Tiger took complete responsibility for his actions, but it came too late and by then he ended up suffering consequences that were excessive compared to his errors.
Firstly, an atmosphere where sport activities are performed is very hostile. An instance where racial discrimination is prevalent, riots may occur during which sports such as crickets, soccer, and baseball, basketball now become less preferred due to the preference of some athletes to others as a result of their colour, culture and race. An instance of this kind of incident is the ill treatment of some players by fans racism at the Spain v. England international football match in Madrid on 17 November 2004 (Bradbury, & Williams, 2006 p.61). This shows how racial discrimination has negativity impacted on sportive activities. Many of athletes are concerned about their personal safety when registering for sportive tournaments, such as the Olympics. The safety of the spectators and the athletes is very important in different sports, if this issue is not resolved, the situation which sportive activities may soon be stagnated and even In such an atmosphere, no athlete will never participate, even thinking about registering his or her name for any sportive events.
Did you know that during the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, all of the Olympic committees were present for the first time ever? It is surprising when things happen in one’s own backyard which have influenced and shaped history. There were many elements that made these Olympics so memorable. They were the world’s participation in the events, the outstanding sponsorship of the community and businesses, and the platform for women's rights beginning a standard for the world. Incredible record breaking demonstrations of both strength and perseverance in Olympic and World records, as well as the centennial celebration of the rebirth of the original Greek Olympics distinguished these events from past games. However, the event that shook the community and the Olympics, was the bomb in Atlanta’s Centennial Park. However, the determination and courage demonstrated by athletes in the games was reflected in the community as the olympics had a strong finish.
In order to be considered a role model, the athlete must inspire others in a respectable way. When looking at inspirational athletes, Tim Tebow is a profound example. Tebow is very public with his dedication to his faith, and is not afraid to talk about and stand up for what he believes in. This sharply contrasts with some other athletes and how they conduct themselves in public. Parents would never desire their children to drive under the influence of drugs or alcohol; for this reason, Michael Phelps is a non-example of this criteria. In ten years, Phelps was charged with two DUIs resulting in treacherous driving (Sheinin). At this point in time, Michael Phelps is not an inspiring figure. Without a doubt, a DUI is not an inspiration to anyone. Potentially throwing away everything one has worked for, not to mention endangering the lives of other drivers, is the opposite of inspiring. When evaluating Lance Armstrong, he admittedly has an inspirational story - up to a point. He overcame testicular cancer that spread to his lungs and brain to become one of the world’s best cyclists and win 7 Tours de France (Bissinger). While this feat is certainly inspirational, it was accomplished through illegal blood doping. Because Armstrong cheated, his success story of determination and overcoming odds is tainted and no longer an inspiration to
In his classic work "Poetics" Aristotle provided a model of the tragic hero. According to Aristotle, the tragic hero is more admirable than the average person. This results in the tragic hero being admired by the audience. For the audience to accept a tragic ending as just, it is crucial that the tragic hero be responsible for their undoing. At the same time though, they must remain admired and respected. This is achieved by the tragic hero having a fatal flaw that leads to their undoing. One of literature's examples of the tragic hero is Achilles from Homer's The Iliad. However, Achilles is different from the classic tragic hero in one major way - his story does not end tragically. Unlike the usual tragic hero, Achilles is able to change, reverse his downfall, and actually prove himself as a true hero.
For the 31st Summer Olympics, held in Rio, Ryan Lochte, a six time Olympic gold medalist, and three of his fellow swimmers made up a story that they were the victims of an “armed robbery...in which they had their wallets stolen after they were approached by muggers posing as police” (De Menezes). However, it has been proven that the story was a lie, in an effort to “cover up an alcohol-fuelled incident at a petrol station, where a public toilet was vandalised by one of the four swimmers.” It is evident that Lochte wrongly lied in front of the press, in hope of escaping his, and his companions’, mistakes. With the opportunity given, Lochte took his chances to try to escape the consequences of his wrongdoing by lying, leading to an even greater
Michael Phelps has had an amazing career in the sport of swimming and the stats can prove it. Phelps, at the age of 15, made it on an Olympic team, being the youngest male to have done that since 1932 (Busnak 32). At the 2004 Olympic Games he won six gold medals. He also captured five Olympic Records and two World Records. In Beijing Michael won eight medals and all of them were gold. He set nine Olympic records and eight of them still stand today. Seven of the nine records were also World records. At the 2012 Olympic Games, Michael claimed six more medals, four of them being gold (33).