After personally knowing a handful of disabled athletes, and our class discussion on the Paralympics, I find myself wondering, if even to the extent current media coverage is at for the games, is it fair?
We were asked how many had seen some type of Paralympic games on tv, heard on the radio, or even seen footage on Sportscenter. Very few classmates had.
I understand that viewership for 'sitting volleball' or wheelchair racing would reach numbers that standard volleyball or foot races would get, but it is a question of ethics. Is it right that these sporting events don't get airtime? Awareness of the Paralympics will never grow, if it doesn't get the opportunity to.
I also wonder if the Paralympics and Olympics are held synonymously, instead of one after another in the same host city, and share global media coverage.... would awareness increase? I believe disabled athletes are just as important, and considered athletes as able bodied players. So it seems as if international Olympic and Paralympic committees should be working together to make the world see and respect sport as a whole, even when the play is slightly different.
We were asked how many had seen some type of Paralympic games on tv, heard on the radio, or even seen footage on Sportscenter. Very few classmates had.
I understand that viewership for 'sitting volleball' or wheelchair racing would reach numbers that standard volleyball or foot races would get, but it is a question of ethics. Is it right that these sporting events don't get airtime? Awareness of the Paralympics will never grow, if it doesn't get the opportunity to.
I also wonder if the Paralympics and Olympics are held synonymously, instead of one after another in the same host city, and share global media coverage.... would awareness increase? I believe disabled athletes are just as important, and considered athletes as able bodied players. So it seems as if international Olympic and Paralympic committees should be working together to make the world see and respect sport as a whole, even when the play is slightly different.
I agree that it would be a good idea to hold the Paralympics concurrent with the Olympics. However, I wonder about another ethical issue for those countries that have previously paid little attention to their own Paralympians--i.e, would the U.S. suddenly be interested in the results, because it could add to their medal count?
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