I always have respected Olympic athletes, for they spend all their time training. Victorious athletes were professionals in the sense that they lived off the glory of their achievement ever afterwards. Their hometowns might reward them with: free meals for the rest of their lives, honorary appointments, or leadership positions in the community. The victors were memorialized in statues and also in victory songs, and commissioned from famous poets. Today, the Olympic Games are the world's largest pageant of athletic skill and competitive spirit ....