Does a successful Olympic athlete earn special access to other sports at an elite level?
This question is currently being addressed by the retired sprinter and Olympian, Usain Bolt. Not only is Bolt a gold medal Olympian, but he also holds the world record in the 100 meter sprint, 200 meter sprint, and the 4 x 100 meter relay. He attended 3 Olympics in his career and is commonly known as the fastest runner in the world by fans both in and out of the sport of running.
While he receives never ending praise for his speed and dedication to the sport of sprinting, his experience in his breakthrough attempt at the sport of soccer has been quite the opposite. Following Bolt’s retirement in 2017, he has picked up soccer as it possesses many of the same skills as those that he’s proven to master in sprinting: fast legs and agile foot placement. However, he has been criticized for having a, “touch like a trampoline,” when it comes to dealing with the ball. Working with the soccer ball is obviously an acquired skill and import aspect to the sport that should not be overlooked.
Multiple athletes have had their say and show to not have favorable feelings in the matter. They feel it is like a, “kick to the teeth,” that the A-League soccer team, the Mariners, are even considering signing Bolt over other potential athletes that have dedicated their whole lives to the sport. Bolt’s representatives were looking at signing a contract close to $3 million but the Mariner’s offered a contract closer to $150,000. The smaller contract of the two seems to suit Bolt more as he does not hold any previous soccer experience.
This brings us back to the original question: should Usain Bolt even be considered into A-League soccer even though he has no previous professional soccer experience? While he has clearly proven himself time and time again on the running front, soccer includes many more components than just fast times. As an athlete myself, I understand where the appeal to explore other sports comes into play, but that should not give him automatic elite status. If someone were to beat me out for a sport onto the national team, I would be a bit grumpy, too. Especially if that person had not put the same amount of training and effort into that particular sport that I had. It’s as if he doesn’t take the sport as seriously as his other potential teammates. For them, soccer is their lives, but for Bolt, soccer is just a sport he’s playing to fill up his free time now that he retired.
Although Bolt’s name has become world renowned for sport, it should not allow him to skip multiple tiers in the process of becoming an elite soccer player. If he truly wants to enter the sport of soccer, he needs to start mid-range and work his way up just as all the other soccer players did. All in all, I see why some professional soccer players are upset about Bolt’s consideration into A-League soccer and frankly, I agree with them. He needs to put a sufficient amount of time into the sport before he can jump into an elite status.
Vitamin Sea 