Big Sky Cairn

A new swimsuit - or performance enhancing technology - is sparking some controversy for the upcoming Olympic Games. I miss the good old days when the Olympics were about Freedom verses Commies on the Hockey Rink. Now it’s about haves and have-nots on an international stage.

The reason for the controversy:

Even we didn’t guess it would be this good. When I wrote last month about Speedo’s latest swimsuit—an extremely high-tech full-body wonder—three world records had already been broken by LZR-clad swimmers. Coincidence? Maybe. But, after eight more records fell in the past month, the suit is causing some serious waves.

Here’s my problem. Anyone ever hear of a guy named Roger Bannister and his famous 4-minute mile? In a nutshell, running a mile in under four minutes proved to be a stable record for nine years. People wondered if it could be done. And then Roger Bannister ran a mile in 3:59:40, and within two months at least two other runners beat this mark - running faster than they had previously been able to.

What changed? Did they get faster, or train differently or wear different shoes? Maybe. But the reality is, a huge part of athletic success is mental and what fell when Roger Bannister ran a sub-four minute mile was more than a record; what fell was a psychological barrier. Maybe the records are falling because the new swimsuit has helped overcome similar psychological barriers.

If Roger Bannister had ran his mile in the modern era, there’s no doubt that Nike would have issued a press release claiming credit for his accomplishment. And it might have worked. I don’t like the idea of crediting a swimsuit with the amazing feats of athletes.

Yes, this is a political blog, and there are a points to make.

First, people tend to do what they believe they can do. Leaders should be in the business of convincing people they can, rather than telling them they can’t.

Second, giving a swimsuit credit for an athlete’s performance is a bit like giving a politician credit for the economy’s performance. Sure there’s probably some influence, but it’s mostly psychological and focusing on government action detracts from the real heart and soul of a free-market economy: the entrepreneur.

According to legend, the original Olympians competed naked. Their accomplishments could be attributed to nothing but what God gave them. I bet a return to tradition would help TV ratings too…