Rafer Johnson lit the Olympic Cauldron in the Coliseum.
asserted
Johnson → light → Coliseum
Evelyn Ashford won the 100-meter in 10.97 seconds and set a new Olympic record.
asserted
Ashford → win → record
Peter Vidmar, Mitch Gaylord and Tim Daggett stunned the world when US men’s gymnastics won gold for the first time in history.
asserted
gymnastics → stun → history
In 2028, when the Games return to Los Angeles, athletes will once again stay on our campus at UCLA.
asserted
athletes → return → UCLA
And my perspective today is totally different: At a university where some of nation’s top athletes prepare for the world’s premier competition, I see what goes into making an Olympian.
asserted
what → prepare → Olympian
For the athletes — and all of us — it’s an incredible journey.
asserted
it → ’ → us
We attract and open our doors to the best of every sport, from the most remote fields of rural America to the rec centers of our biggest cities — all driven by dreams of greatness.
asserted
all → attract → greatness
We give them the coaching, facilities and sports science — from physical therapy to athletic nutrition to performance psychology and more — that they need to win at the highest levels of competition.
asserted
they → give → competition
We create an environment that fuels their passion and potential.
asserted
that → create → passion
We promote preparedness for life outside sports and provide an education that will open doors far beyond the locker room.
asserted
that → promote → room
And when they’ve worked their way to the top of the podium, we display their names in our halls of fame.
asserted
we → work → fame
It’s a distinctly American tradition: In other countries, athletes are funded and fostered by the government.
asserted
athletes → ’ → government
But here, we rely on our universities to turn competitors into champions.
asserted
we → rely → champions
And the model works: Team USA dominated the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, bringing home 126 total medals, the most of any country.
asserted
USA → work → country
Three-quarters of those athletes had competed collegiately.
asserted
quarters → compete → athletes
And 17 Bruins, including coaches and staff, added 14 new medals to UCLA’s all-time count.
asserted
Bruins → include → count
We do it this way because we know this to be true: When talented people are given the chance to thrive, we all benefit — and we make our nation proud.
asserted
nation → do → chance
Athletics are about more than what happens on the field.
asserted
what → happen → field
At their best, college sports teach excellence, discipline, fair play and teamwork.
asserted
sports → teach → excellence
They create communities.
asserted
They → create → communities
That’s why so many of our universities’ elite competitors go on to do great things outside of sports.
asserted
many → ’ → sports
They win Oscars and elections.
asserted
They → win → Oscars
They become leaders in finance, healthcare, engineering and law, keeping our society strong and our country at the cutting edge of global competition.
But
asserted
society → become → competition
this model is under growing strain; the economics of college athletics are changing rapidly, as escalating costs and new financial obligations place increasing pressure on universities.
asserted
costs → grow → universities
The greatest risk may fall on the ecosystem of women’s and Olympic sports, which are supported by other, revenue-generating disciplines.
uncertain
which → fall → disciplines
Ongoing national debate is highlighting the danger that escalating financial competition in football and basketball could divert resources from those sports and narrow opportunities for future generations of student-athletes.
uncertain
competition → ongoe → athletes
The financial challenges facing universities threaten the very system that fosters Olympic pride.
asserted
that → face → pride
Whatever solutions ultimately emerge, we must preserve what is most valuable about the American model: universities as places where athletic excellence and educational opportunity reinforce one another and where sport develops not only great competitors, but resilient, disciplined and connected human beings.
asserted
sport → emerge → competitors
Every four years, the Olympic Games give us all the chance to revel in human achievement and excellence.
asserted
Games → give → achievement
I saw that 42 years ago when I watched Johnson, Ashford, Vidmar, Gaylord and Daggett don their American flags.
asserted
Johnson → see → flags
And as I look back on that moment, I feel even more inspired by all that they accomplished, knowing that they were not only world-class athletes, but UCLA students and alumni as well.
asserted
they → look → that
I understand far more now about the journey student-athletes take in pursuit of world-class greatness.
asserted
athletes → understand → greatness
In 2028, when the eyes of the world are once again on the Olympic Games, I hope we all remember this: Every time an athlete wins a medal, we should also cheer on the university that supported them.
asserted
that → hope → them
The Aporia
