How the Olympics Can Help — or Hurt — An Athlete’s Business Career

[Amanda Sandoval]

http://olympics.time.com/2012/08/23/how-the-olympics-can-help-or-hurt-an-athletes-business-career/#ixzz25TUi9UQA

Main Idea: For Olympic athletes who play their cards right, this
fascination – not to mention the discipline and determination that is
common among this crowd – can translate to opportunities in the
business world that may not be available to mere mortals.
Main Idea in my own words: Olympians may have a better chance at
getting ahead in their career because of being in the Olympics.

I somewhat agree with the author, Max. I do think that being an
Olympian can help the athlete succeed and become a great business
worker. However, I do not believe that Olympians get a "free ride" nor
that they get hired because of the title they have. Being an Olympian
means you have amazing perseverance, dedication, and hard working
standards. It shows that you are not willing to give up because
something is hard or seems like it cant be worked through. And if you
win gold, it means you are the best in the world at what you won the
gold in. Even though Olympians might get more opportunities, i don't
think that leaves out the "mere mortals" who are most of the time just
as hard working and dedicated as the athletes. Their performance just
might not be on national T.V for the whole world to see, but that
doesn't mean it doesn't count. To get straight A's is not something
that just happens. Just like winning a gold metal is not something
that just happens. You have to work hard if you want something bad
enough and whether you are an athlete or a student, it doesn't matter.
I do not believe that athletes should put their education on hold.
While yes, there is a small window of pinnacle excellence to be the
best athlete you can be: if you don't get far in the Olympics, and you
don't have a high school diploma or a college degree, you are
basically screwed. I realize that this article is about Olympians who
get further in their career because of the Olympics, but what about
those Olympic athletes who didn't win any medals? Will they be just as
good an an athlete who did? Probably not in the eyes of the employer.
And if the gold winner has a medal and a diploma or degree, i can
almost guarantee that the other athlete who didn't win, won't have as
good of a shot. It is great that Carissa Gump, 2008 weightlifting
competitor went back to school. She says, "I was a 25-year-old in
class with 19-year-olds". At least she went back to school to try and
further her education after the Olympics. Athletes shouldn't plan on
having a career waiting for them when the return from the Olympics.