Maybe I have just been spoiled with stories of our Olympic athletes "chasing the American dream." The vignettes I'm used to seeing during the Olympic games are ones of individuals who discovered a passion for a certain sport and pursued that gift.
The stories of the Chinese athletes are not the same.Chinese gymnast, Cheng Fei, apparently pleaded with her parents to let her quit gymnastics and come home. The anchor cheerfully responded to this by saying, "Good thing they didn't let her quit! That last routine was magic!" Should we really enjoy watching an athlete who is forced to perform?
NBC also featured the story of a Chinese diver who "was scared of the diving board." In order to overcome this fear, her coach pushed her off the board. She continued with the sport even though she didn't like it because she didn't want to be a disappointment.
This kind of pressure (like taking three year olds away from their family to begin gymnastics) is something we in America with our freedom, "pursue your own dream", and "be all you can be" mentality will never be able to fully comprehend.