The Most Important Olympians Of All

So, I've accepted it, and you should too. The Olympic Games are more about politics than sport.

Leading up to the Olympic Games in Beijing I really haven't heard many news reports about the condition of the athletes themselves.

I’ve seen commercials, from corporate sponsors, featuring athletes, yes. I saw one poorly produced ESPN infomercial with all the pretty faced Olympians from marketable sports.

But news reports, like on the 6:00pm sports report, on your local alphabet channel affiliate, no.

What I have heard from those media outlets is controversy about pollution, human rights, protests, media blackouts, doping, passport delays, even genetic gender testing for eastern European female competitors.

So the Olympic Games have officially "jumped the shark" before even beginning. Okay, then, you made the rules, world, now I want to play the game too.

Sports, as has been said, are actually microcosms of life. I’m hoping that in one event, life is a microcosm of sport and the U.S. representatives in Beijing will return victorious and heavily medaled.

The athletes of this particular competition are immune to pressure due to a unique training method. The training facilities are scattered throughout the world, and the coaches have each competed, each in their particular arena, at the highest level. It is a grueling grooming process where those with lesser skills are sometimes severely punished by the opposing team, often killed.

One series of events where American fans will be justified to live the elation of success or die the heart wrenching agony of defeat along with the athletes competing. This is a sport where a silver medal is as valuable as a hole in the ground.

No, Matt Lauer probably won’t be chatting to these competitors with his legs crossed and a fireplace in the background. No, Bob Costas hasn’t spent his childhood hanging around the greats of this sport either. In fact, they, and their networks likely will completely ignore these athletes and have even failed to schedule one minute of coverage for the competitions. These warriors are used to being under appreciated and overlooked.

Fortunately, we have the absolute finest humans on the planet available representing our country. None of them will be wearing breathing masks or failing drug tests. Not one of them will return to the United States to a multimillion dollar shoe contract.

If a poster of this team were available, it wouldn't sell to anyone. But if you want a role model for your children, you’ve found them. Their uniforms can be picked up at any secondhand store, they probably won’t have names on the back, just look for one without any holes in it.

The athletes I speak of are active members of the U.S. Military and the sport is shooting.

These, the most important athletes at Beijing, are listed below.

Army Spc. Walton “Glenn” Eller III

Maj. Michael Anti

Staff Sgt. Libby Callahan

Sgt Spc. Jeffrey G. Holguin

 Pfc. Vincent C. Hancock.

1st Class Daryl L. Szarenski

At this Olympics there are 15 events: six for women and nine for men. The shooting events are divided into three different groups: rifle, pistol and shotgun events. The rifle and pistol events are held on shooting ranges with competitors aiming at targets from distances of 10 meters, 25 meters and 50 meters. The shotgun events see competitors shoot at clay targets propelled in different directions.

In the grand scheme of things, this might become the only sport that matters.

How’s that for political?