What Exactly Are The Paralympic Games?

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Don't Judge a Book by its Cover

Growing up I always was told not to judge a book by its cover from teachers, parents, and even parents of friends. This is one saying that has always been drilled into my mind and into many others as well. With growing older we should never forget those simple life lessons that we are taught as children. In the Paralympic games this is one of the biggest issues that the participants face. People do not realize what they have till it is gone and for some this may mean their mobility and ability to hear or even see. These are parts of life that others take for granite and when seeing another who has lost these there is the potential to judge them for their new formed way of life. Even with the media this has become an issue due to writers referring to the participants of the games as "freaks of nature" or "supercrips" which are very offending to those who are trying their hardest to live a normal life (Laura Misener). Authors of these articles tried to justify their actions with publishing these hurtful words, but nothing was done to make up for this. People all around the world look at the participants of the Paralympic games as so very different, but really they are just people who are forced to live a different way than from what most would call "normal" due to an impairment. These hurtful comments are mostly due to the ignorance of the human race. The people who are a part of the Paralympic games push themselves as hard as it takes to be the best. They do the same as any athlete would do regarding there condition. Training and being healthy, as any athlete the participants of the paralympics just also have to learn to deal with a physical impairments and the accommodations to...

... middle of paper ...

...avis, R., & Megginson, N. (2012). The Influence of Paralympic Game

Proposals on Successfully Hosting the Olympics. Palaestra, 26(3), 53-55.

Johan Huizinga. Homo Ludens, 1955. Reprinted by permission of Beacon Press.

Misener, Laura, Simon Darcy, David Legg, and Keith Gilbert. "Beyond Oiympic Legacy :

Understanding Paralympic Legacy Through a Thematic Analysis." Journal of Sport

Management (2013): n. page. Web.
9b60-c1611211d03c%40sessionmgr4003&vid=4&hid=4207>.

Purdue, David E.J., and David P. Howe. "Who's In and Who Is Out? Legitimate Bodies Within

the Paralympic Games." Sociology of Sport Journal (2013): n. page. Web.

c1611211d03c%40sessionmgr4003&vid=4&hid=4207>.

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