Is it Fair, Accurate to Call Olympic Athletes "Heroes"?

With all of the hype from this year's Beijing Olympic Games, many people are left thinking that the athletes who compete are worthy of absolute praise and adoration. But what have these athletes really accomplished compared to other athletes? All athletes train to do their best at what they do, even those who participate in such events as a hobby. How can we possibly consider such people heroes when there are a lot more men and women out there who are putting their lives at risk just so we can be safe?

As we all very well know, Olympic athletes get a lot more publicity and attention then athletes who compete in other competitions on a local basis. These people are shifted to a higher level of respect just because they "represent" our country. I don't know about you, but I don't think a handful of people can quite capture the essence of the United States, or any other country for that matter. We treat these people as celebrities, worshiping the ground they walk on only because they're a great swimmer or they can twist their bodies in the air. Sure it's not the easiest thing to do, but is it worth so much hype? Let's face it, we pride ourselves in our accomplishments and we forget what's more important, which is how our actions affect the world around us. As Joseph Campbell once stated, "A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself." Winning some big competition is not quite bigger than oneself because the only thing that is truly accomplished is a personal goal of beating the person in second place. An athlete's victory has little to no affect on the world as a whole, other than getting everyone to watch the same channel at the same time. What's more is that an athlete can get paid millions of dollars from sponsors only because of their athletic abilities, while soldiers, firemen, and police officers only get paid a fraction of that amount and are required to give up their normal lives to help those in need.

The fact of the matter is, athletes don't deserve to be called heroes, they don't earn that title. I'll agree that they can be an inspiration to us all on how we can be determined to reach a goal, but I won't go so far as to call them a hero. It takes more than a few fancy tricks and great timing to be considered as a person who everyone can look up to for solace in a time of uncertainty. Heroes save the day, not win gold medals.