Eris Revenge: Blackout in athens

[Trollax]

Eris Revenge: Blackout in athens
Or
Discourse 26: The End of Friendly Competition

http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/07/13/1089694356343.html?oneclick=true

That's right. After all this time, the snub continues. As organisation increases so too does the fury of Eris over the snubbing at Pelis' and Thetis' wedding. And she's coming home to greece for some extra grief on the already chaos-plagued Athens Olympics...

Less than a month out from an olympics that will be half-finished by the time it's over. Athens has experienceed sweltering heat in excess of 40¬?C (100¬?F) bushfires, and now, humidity is being blamed for bringing down 2/3 of the city's power grid.

The bitchslap of Eris continues for the Greeks who in their orthodox christianity still pay lip-service to their pagan heritage (though, doubtless there are serious practicioners); it seems that our lady of happenstance is sorely pissed by this just as much by the original snub. The ideals of olympian achievement are lost behind a haze of pomp, ceremony, and performance enhancing drugs. A US senate enquiry heard today the extent of doping in professional sports in the US starts in school and continues right up to elite levels. In Australia, after a turbulent month iof scandals surrounding doping among australian cyclists, all athletes in athens will be banned from injecting any substance, vitamins or otherwise, unless they can demonstrate a proven medical need (i.e. allergies or diabeties). At the Time of this writing the Chinese could not be reached for comment, but this reporter is certain that they too are putting their genetically modified super-swimmers on hold.

What has the sporting world done to earn the wrath of Eris? Is it not obvious? There was once a time when our sporting heroes were not overpaid egomaniacs with nothing better to do than build muscle all day and stress themselves silly. There was once a time, when world-champion athletes worked 9 to 5 and trained in the evenings. But now... now?

Breakdown, suicide, heartache. Unattainable goals and fantastic realities. I had the fortune of being in a year with 3 national champion sports people... all of them had managed to have a breakdown by the age of 17. One of whom after being reduced to an emotional wreck at the age of 13 never went back to sports. These are the idols of today, the crumbling pillars of a bankrupt culture. Empty and hollow they must be filled with drugs and fantasies to make them run.
Once it was about lifting up the common folk to believing in themselves, pushing people to believe that they too could perform at an international standard. But today, to be the best you must be nothing but a sport, your life is the sacrifice you pay for those few short years at the top, and afterwards all you've got to look forward to is owning a business that somebody else runs.

Do you wonder why Eris has tossed her apple into the olympic arena? Wouldn't you?

[The Good Reverend Roger]

That'll teach them.  Nobody likes the Greeks, not even their gods.

Might not have been Eris, though...could have been any number of petty Greek gods.

[MescalineBanana]

Yes, ultimately, all must submit to the Second Law of Thermodynamics.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Yes, ultimately, all must submit to the Second Law of Thermodynamics.

Sez you.