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The Olympic games are approaching their close and Simone Biles, the great American gymnast, is leaving Paris with another handful of medals. Her exceptional work on the vault earned her a gold medal with ease, her work with Team USA clad the whole group in gold, and even though she only took home the silver medal for her floor routine, she was still able to secure the Individual All-Around gold medal.
Biles’ exemplary performances at the Paris games were so good that they inspired Bishop Robert Barron, of the Winona-Rochester Diocese, to reflect on the beauty of sports.
In a video carried by Fox News, Bishop Barron began by exclaiming that she is indeed the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) before comparing the experience of watching her to that of watching Michael Jordan in the ’90s.
“You know, he was surrounded by great players, but then there was Jordan. He was something else. The same with Simone. She’s with the greatest gymnasts in the world, but when she performed, it was at this pitch of excellence, you know?” Bishop Barron recalled.
He explained that the beauty of the athletic displays offered by sports is a prime example of Aristotle’s belief that the best things in life are sought for their own sake.
For example, if we were to fix our car, it is as a means for us to achieve another goal, such as going to the store or an appointment. Sports, conversely, are beautiful for their own sake and we do not watch them as a means for anything other than to witness the beauty of the performance.
“I’m not watching Simone Biles to accomplish anything else,” he said. “I’m just contemplating how beautiful that performance is. And I’ll say, as a religious person, it’s one of the ways that value shows itself in the world. There is something kind of sacred about it.”
With a staggering 30 World Championship medals and an additional 11 Olympic medals (7 of which are gold), Simone Biles is the most decorated gymnast in history, with only one Soviet Union era female gymnast – Larisa Latynina – holding more Olympic medals in the field of gymnastics. Biles may get a chance to test Latynina’s record in 2028, but she has not confirmed that she will compete again, as she would be 31 at the time.
And today we celebrate...