The Olympic Games

So being that the 2020 AD (CE) summer Olympic Games are actually taking place this summer of 2021 AD (CE) because of COVID. I felt it important to drop some Olympic knowledge on everyone being I’m such the sports fan and history whiz.

Our modern Western societies on the continents of Europe, North America, and South America are derived from ancient Egypt, ancient Greece, ancient Carthage, and ancient Rome.

Out of all of these there is none more revered than ancient Greece. Every city functioned like its own nation. There wasn’t a unified Greece. Every city state had its own laws, culture, and unique way of doing things. While there were many city states (at least 1,000), Athens, Sparta, and Macedonia were the 3 most important. Sparta created the foundations of Western military culture. They literally ate, slept, and breathed martial arts, military strategy, and unadulterated ass kicking 24/7. Every day of the year. Their laws would not permit them to do anything else once so ever. Athens had an army just like Sparta did, except Athens was way more of a naval power. Spartan society thought fighting on land was more manly than the sea. But the main thing that separated Sparta, and Athens was the fact that Athenians had way more freedom than Spartans. So therefore, Athens is the birthplace of democracy, philosophy, science, etc.. All the great teachers of the ancient world were from a city within Greece, and/or traveled to Athens.

Now the only time that the various cities would not quarrel amongst themselves was when they traveled to the city of Olympia, which is named after the Olympian ancient Greek gods that reside on Mount Olympus. Why did they travel to Olympia every 4 years between 776 BC (BCE) and 393 AD (CE)? To help those non-historical people, we are in 2021 AD (CE). The original ancient Greek Olympics.

The ancient Greek Olympics were very different from our modern Olympics. All the events were open to any male of any social class over 5 days. Women could not compete, but the loophole was any rider who won a chariot race was not awarded victory, but the owner of the chariot was. And women could own a stable of horse chariots in ancient Greece. They competed naked. False start in a track and field race caused the men to be subject to capital punishment. These 2 are my own personal favorites being a martial arts historian. The Spartans were not allowed to compete in the Pankration events because they had no impulse control. They were brought up in a strictly kill, or be killed world. Pankration is the unarmed mixed martial art of the ancient Greek city states. It’s a combination of Boxing, and Freestyle Wrestling. My other favorite fact is that when the ancient Persians invaded Greece in 480 BC (BCE), the Olympics were so revered by the Greeks that they could not form the closest thing to a coalition to protect their land because all the soldiers were preparing for the Olympics. That’s the classic example everybody thinks of when discussing the history of the Olympics. And finally, there were no point systems, or medals. The victor of each event received an olive wreath.

The modern Olympics the way we think of them did not begin until 1896 AD (CE). The summer takes place every 4 years, while winter is every 2 years. They still continue to try to be a vehicle to bring peace amongst the sociopolitical squabbles of all 196 to 250 unified nations on this Earth, depending on your definition of a country. And before I forget, let me end with this important tidbit for everybody to take under consideration… From 1896 AD (CE) to the 1970s AD (CE) only amateur athletes could compete. It wasn’t until the 1980s AD (CE) that professional athletes began to compete.

In this day and age of technology, where you can program which events you want to watch, instead of having to watch whatever is live.

Here’s what I’ll be watching over the next 17 days:

Archery
Baseball
Basketball
Boxing
Fencing
Judo
Karate
Modern Pentathlon
Shooting
Soccer
Tae Kwon Do
Track and Field
Wrestling

The only Winter Olympic sport I watch:

Ice Hockey

2020 Sports and COVID?

So as a sports fan, with the way 2020’s going on, I have to ask myself a few questions.

1) If COVID is as bad as everyone says it is, then why are they playing games in the 1st place, if you care so much about player safety?

2) Since football coaching is 1 of my many possible “careers”, and I know a who’s who of KC North Metro coaches whose high school seasons have been canceled. As well as having every college conference start at different times within the duration of the season, how can you gauge a true national champion in college when teams aren’t even playing the same amount of games?

3) These are all honest questions that I’ve asked myself over the year. I knew I wasn’t being a hypochondriac about COVID when a high school buddy of mine who is a coach for a Major League Baseball franchise contracted it. I myself had an unofficial meeting with an NFL franchise axed because of it, so something is definitely going on.

Brad Freeman's All-Time Lifetime Basketball Team

My all-time basketball team during my lifetime.

Starting Lineup:
C: Shaquille O’Neil (Orlando Magic/Los Angeles Lakers)
PF: Karl Malone (Utah Jazz)
SF: Larry Bird (Boston Celtics)
SG: Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls) *favorite player and team growing up
PG: Earvin “Magic” Johnson (Los Angeles Lakers)

Bench:
6. SG Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers)
7. SF Lebron James (Cleveland Cavaliers/Miami Heat)
8. PG/SG Steph Curry (Golden State Warriors)
9. PG Steve Nash (Dallas Mavericks/Phoenix Suns) *where I learned to pass from crazy angles
10. SG Dwayne Wade (Miami Heat)
11. C David Robinson (San Antonio Spurs)
12. PF Tim Duncan (San Antonio Spurs)

Non-Roster Players (in case somebody gets injured)
13. SG Ray Allen (Milwaukee Bucks/Boston Celtics/Miami Heat)
14. SG Reggie Miller (Indiana Pacers)

*The 92 Olympics in Barcelona Spain were the 1st time that NBA players were allowed to play in the Summer Olympics, instead of the mandatory college players. And yes, I owned and still own the “Dream Team” poster. I remember those players vividly, even though I was only 8.

*Being that the Kings had moved from Kansas City to Sacramento literally the year after I was born, I adopted the Bulls as my team.When leagues, have no teams tied to a certain city’s market, you get games from all around the country.

*While I appreciate Kobe Bryant, and Lebron James’s game, I’m not as awestruck because growing up I liked Michael Jordan, so I’ve seen it all before when it comes to what I like to call his 2 reincarnations. Plus, could Lebron or Kobe dunk the moon? I have the Michael Jordan: Space: The Final Frontier poster still. That’s the one where Jordan is dunking the moon over his head.

Brad Freeman's All-Time Legends Basketball Team

My all-time legends basketball team.

Starting Lineup:
C: Bill Russell (Boston Celtics)
PF: Wilt Chamberlain (Harlem Globetrotters/Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors/Philadelphia 76ers/LA Lakers)
SF: Julius Erving (Philadelphia 76ers)
SG: Pete Maravich (New Orleans/Utah Jazz)
PG: Bob Cousy (Boston Celtics)

Bench:
6. PG/SG Jerry West (Los Angeles Lakers)
7. C Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Milwaukee Bucks/Los Angeles Lakers)
8. SF Elgin Baylor (Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers)
9. PF Moses Malone (Philadelphia 76ers)
10. PG John Havlick (Boston Celtics) 
11. SG/SF George Gervin (San Antonio Spurs)
12. PG Oscar Robertson (Milwaukee Bucks)

Non-Roster Players (in case somebody gets injured)
13. PG Walt Frazier (New York Knicks)
14. C Willis Reed (New York Knicks)

Coronavirus Home Quarantine Update

Hi. I’m doing pretty well. With my cerebral palsy, I kind of have to do everything from home anyway being I’m not able to walk under my own power, so to a certain extent everyone is living how I live every day. Doing things from home. And using the Internet to compensate for not walking around. For me it’s another day, but at the same time when I do go places I’m cautious but not freaked out yet. From day-to-day, I’m not sure how to feel. Some days I think I need to stop being the wimp, and just suck it up with the whole pandemic thing. But then again, do I want to risk catching some life threatening disease? So my mood changes on a daily basis unfortunately. I’m not sure how to feel to be honest… I’m not germ phobic either. Stay healthy, and stay safe.

We'll all be fine eventually! Like I said in a post weeks ago, you have to find ways to preoccupy yourself, make the ultimate assault on life, and achieve greatness!

Coronavirus (COVID 19) PSA

Hello fine people,

With the unprecedented times we’re living in, I Brad Freeman, your resident wheelchair-bound bro on the go and future President of the United States possibly, has this PSA to share with you.

In regards to Coronavirus (COVID 19) I am cautious, but not drinking the panic Kool-Aid yet. My food and toilet paper surplus is at a normal level. All this panic buying is drastically reducing the supply needed for those who really do demand it. And with the advent of cable, and satellite, CNN and Fox News, as well as their local affiliates, are scaring everyone by constantly saturating the airwaves with the worst possible scenarios.

On another related side note, all humans can do as a species is what they should already have been doing for years. Basic hygiene… Wash your hands, cover your mouth when you cough, cough and sneeze into your elbow, don’t shake hands for a while, and sanitize and disinfect more than usual. My God, my hands have never smelled more like Aloe and Lysol at any time in life, then now! Lol. If you truly have symptoms go get checked please.

With all the different closures because of this, I feel a bit of irony personally. You see, having cerebral palsy since you were 5 months old, and not being able to walk around under your power, I use my brainpower, and the Internet to compensate for not being able to walk around all the time. I do all the things I do that were written about in my blog via telephone conferences, email, mail, and people driving to me etc, so for me in a weird way, it’s just another day. Everybody else is living how I live to a certain extent. But I do feel bad for the people with the jobs that don’t have any work from home elements to them. People always get on me for not having a traditional job, and having to do things from home. It’s hard for me to find a job because I’m not able to walk under my own power, but I do the best I can with what I got. My point is if there were more lucrative jobs for people to do from home, then we’d all be doing it, but unfortunately there’s not. So in that sense, I can very much relate to everybody right now.

And for all the parents, being that you have to home school most of your kids, try khanacademy.com. It’s a website I use to brush up on my basic subjects, as well as take practice tests at a post college level.

Don’t get discouraged, you’ll make it through. If I can learn to compensate with cerebral palsy my whole life, then I’m sure all of you that take walking under your own power and the freedom you do have for granted, will be fine in the long run! What I do when I wake up, you ask? What can I accomplish today? I have the Internet. Let’s go kick ass, and make sure history remembers you for all eternity! Everyone see, what you have to do is reach deep down inside, and find that relentlessly persistent part of you that will not give in, or give up! What you have to do is make the ultimate assault on life itself. Be the best you can be. And pass the time by finding things to preoccupy your time. I’ve done this my whole life, if you haven’t noticed. If I believe in myself enough to do it, then I certainly believe all of you can accomplish the same greatness!

Brad Freeman