Image: Via Bo Zhang (Unsplash)
People criticize every Olympic misstep, acting like they could do better — but from the comfort of one’s couch, even a stumble looks easy. Therefore, the Olympics should silence these couch critics by randomly selecting individuals to participate in the 2028 Los Angeles games.
During previous games, many social media users proudly proclaimed that they could outperform the Olympians. However, people will often judge an Olympian’s failures and mistakes without fully understanding the incredible skill and dedication it takes to reach their level, something that would eliminate the issue entirely. When viewers see people on TV attempting these hard skills and stunts, they will realize that they do not come as easy as they seem, but it will also provide an incredible laugh to the fact that they are not up to speed with these Olympians.
Take Usain Bolt, for example — he can run up to 30 mph, while the average running speed for most individuals is about six to seven mph. However, viewers frequently fail to grasp the achievements of Bolt and other Olympians, and people around the world would benefit from a visual explanation for comparison. Armand Duplantis, a Swedish Pole Vaulter who went viral for his world record jump in the Summer 2024 Olympics, can reach over 20 feet pole vaulting, yet the average untrained person can hardly jump a foot.
When viewers watch the Olympics, they are not purposefully sitting there and criticizing the athletes. They quite clearly do not have a reference guide to follow, to explain the athletes’ unique and outstanding capabilities. With a clear reference guide to follow, audiences and viewers would experience a significant increase in both amusement and pride, enhancing their overall enjoyment of the games.
This program, of allowing average people in the Olympics, would consist of three randomly selected people within the region of the host city. Their tasks would include either performing a routine or doing the competition ahead of time to the best of their abilities, allowing viewers to compare their analytics and scores to the Olympians. These people would be chosen from a lottery system, which they can enter themselves, and will be announced live at the countries’ Olympic Trials. This program is a great way to get the country physically involved in the Olympics, encouraging more people to participate and feel connected to the event.
This idea has gained significant support among social media users, including one TikToker who argues that it would give people a better sense of how challenging the sport truly is. One commenter argued, “Lol, this would actually be a great idea because I’ll be sitting there eating a tray of Oreos thinking, ‘I can do that.’” Another user mentioned that her toxic trait is believing she can effortlessly outperform Olympians. Others agreed, expressing the need for a benchmark or reference point to compare themselves to the athletes.
As the overconfidence of viewers concerning the Olympians continues, it is clear that many underestimate just how exceptional these athletes are and what they are really capable of.
In 2028, these opinions would be laid to rest if the Olympics were to implement a program allowing randomly chosen people to have their scores evaluated for the world to see and to compare to the Olympians.
Samantha Tierney is a second year Media and Culture major with a minor in Digital Marketing.