Behind the scences

Here is a little behind the scences stuff for all of you who listen to our show every Tuesday. This story came up last week, and I felt like writing a commentary about it. Unfortunately, my co-hosts felt that it didn't fit the show,so I decided to publish it here Enjoy:

It is rare that a sporting event transcends the arena of competition and instead becomes a moment of clarity for a society. Such was the case in 1968, when riots and violence filled the streets of U.S. cities in as contentious a time as any in the last five decades.
In that year the Summer Olympics were held in Mexico City. At the conclusion of the 200 meter event, Americans Tommy Smith and John Carlos, the races' Gold and Bronze medalists took to the victory podium and raised gloved fist, bowing their heads as the anthem of their nation played.
An act not of disrespect, but of acknowledgment of the plight of African Americans in their country, all cast before a world-wide audience.
And on that day, Peter Norman stood with them.
While some viewed the Australian Norman as a victim of an improper political statement, and Norman himself humbly believed his role to be nothing more than a willing bystander to an important message, those of us lucky enough to view the event through the prism of hindsight know differently.
For beyond the pride of a nation's Silver medalist (one whose time of 20.06 seconds is still a Australian record), or the pro-human rights badge that Norman wore on that podium, the act of actually joining Smith and Carlos in their defiance of decorum was best explaineded by Bronze medalist Carlos for the Associated Press when said of Norman, "Peter never flinched, he never turned his eye or his head, When I looked in his eyes, I saw nothing but love."
Love for competition, for fairness and for his fellow man.
A love that brings us, decades later to the Melbourne suburb of Williamstown, where nearly 800 people turned out days ago for the funeral of Peter Norman, felled at age 64 by a heart attack.
Whether they knew him as a star athlete, a physical education teacher, or simply a friend, all knew Norman as a humble man fortified by the courage of his convictions.
Chief among those grieving the loss and celebrating the life of Peter Norman were the two men to which his act served as only so much as a historical footnote, Tommy Smith and John Carlos.
For on that day in 1968, Peter Norman stood up for Tommy Smith and John Carlos by standing beside them.
And now, serving as pallbearers; as they had throughout his life, Smith and Carlos stood up for him.