Uniting to Win: What Special Olympics Fandom Can Teach Us

Abstract

Columbus, Ohio June 28, 20081 I watch the swimmers step onto the blocks, a stopwatch in my hand. Each athlete takes his position. Some intently wait to hear the buzzer; others look toward the stands. A spectator waves her hand at one of the athletes and cheers. A few more seconds pass. Then the buzzer sounds. Most competitors dive in, though the athlete in my lane needs a bit more encouragement. I glance to my right at Amber, the other timer in my lane. Rule one of volunteering at Special Olympics Ohio: Never tell an athlete “go” unless you mean it. Our eyes communicate what we don’t need to say. She and I cry “Go, John!” at the top of our lungs and watch him dive in after his competitors. We laugh as water flies onto our faces and clothing from the splash of his start. John takes off down the lane, inching closer to his competitors on the first lap of his 200-meter freestyle. * * * Modern sport spectators often exist in a liminal space. A story my mother tells about taking me at age three to watch my first local 12-and-under girls’ soccer match captures this feeling. Standing comfortably within my mother’s arms, I was supposedly mesmerized by the game for the first five minutes. When my mother reached for a water bottle, I instantly broke free and ran onto the field, crying, “Dana’s turn! Dana’s turn!” Luckily the girls were able to maneuver the ball around me until the referee called a timeout. Albeit brief, my experience as a spectator positioned me between two opposing desires: passively appreciating the home team and actively joining the fun. According to historian Allen Guttmann, many avid sports fans are in fact athletes themselves, as there is a “strong, positive correlation between active and passive sport participation.”2 Via this model we can begin to understand an organization like Special Olympics. Its motto, “Be a Fan,” speaks to the power, worth, and necessity of spectators in perpetuating the endeavors of the organization.3 The 2008 Swimming Championships of the Special Olympics Ohio Summer Games reminds us of the value of joining in the celebration of the human capacity for excellence, despite possible preconceived notions about competitors with special needs. 4