COMMENTARY: McMann and Miranda have done more than medal
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John Fuller (TheMat.com)
08/24/2004
Finally, something good in the world is actually bigger than the Olympics. This bigger doesn't involve million-dollar endorsement deals, Nike shoes or spoiled athletes. This bigger involves the advancement of life, and in this case - women. On Monday night in Athens, Greece, two women's wrestlers, both from the U.S., lost a gold medal. Sara McMann didn't win a silver and Patricia Miranda did not win a bronze. They both lost gold. But in the entire scheme of things, that does not matter. Neither woman knows it yet, but they're medals were so much more than medals, even if the color was not yellow (to quote Terry Brands). Young girls across the world watched four women win gold medals on Sunday night. These medals weren't in track. They weren't in gymnastics or even swimming. They were in wrestling. Yes, that wrestling. The physical, emotional battle that has existed even since Biblical days. McMann and Miranda, along with the 48 other women that competed in their first Olympic Games are now pioneers. As the two U.S. women answered questions during press conferences, they had trouble conveying their feelings about their respective matches to the hoards of media in attendance. However, when asked about the advancement of women's wrestling, most every woman in the press conference, U.S. or foreign, jumped at the chance to speak. In most cases, tears wear still being dried from their cheeks. "I'm very excited for my sport and the demonstration that women's wrestling has put on. The Olympic Games is going to do leaps and bounds for the sport itself. I think adding us to the Games was just step one to legitimizing us as a sport," Miranda said in her press conference. McMann expressed many of the same sentiments. All over the world last night, young girls watched as women battled for gold. They didn't wrestle like men. They didn't wrestle like women. They wrestled like warriors. Undoubtedly, many Olympic gold medalists were made last night. But it wasn't just the young girls that watched those matches. It was their fathers, and mothers, and brothers. An attitude is changing. Maybe it has something to do with the Greek air. Maybe it has to do with the Olympic spirit. Or maybe it is more simple then that. Maybe it has something to do with the hard work and effort that many of these women have put in. Maybe, as McMann eluded to, it has something to do with the women like Tricia Saunders, who battled so that these women in Athens could do what they are doing - fighting for Olympic gold medals. Believers were born, and champions were made last night. And it didn't matter if the U.S. women went home with no medals. They won't understand that now, but when they have their own children, it will all make sense. Whitney Houston was right. The children are our future. And it is that belief that makes the Olympics seem small in stature compared to what happened last evening.