Competitors? I wouldn't say so. Sure, they're both news media outlets. Sure, they both cover sports in France. But would I say they're competitive? Absolutely not.
L'Equipe is a French news media outlet. They cover sports in France, in the French language. EuroSport covers sports all over Europe, in a wide range of 22 different languages. They have a much wider and broader target audience. L'Equipe has multiple different talkshows, different ways of reaching the target audience such as print, website, Twitter, Snapchat and other forms of social media. EuroSport isn't known for its talkshows, social media content, etc. because that would mean they would have to translate into 22 different languages. So, yes, they're both news media outlets that cover sports in France. But, one is much larger than the other, and one is much more focused than the other.
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Outside of the Notre Dame Cathedral, there are streets filled with places to eat. Tons of creperies, tons of pastry shops, tons of ice cream. What can I smell? Sugar. I can smell the warmth of the air mixed with the sweetness that intertwines the Parisian air. On top of that, I can smell cigarettes. Some places the smell is stronger than others, but I have yet to go to a place in Paris that does not smell even the slightest bit like cigarettes.
The smell of the sugar and sweetness in the air is only slightly familiar at home when I walk into a place like Gigi’s cupcakes, or a pastry shop in downtown Detroit. However, the smell doesn’t linger outside the building like it does in Paris. The smell of the cigarettes is more familiar at home, but again, not nearly to that extent. At home, walking past a person who smokes cigarettes is not unheard of, but also is becoming more and more rare. Here, I have yet to walk by a shop or down the street without seeing someone smoking, or smelling it. So, as I walk through Paris, I smell the sweet smell of sugar that distracts from the strong fumes of cigarette smoke. Mary Poppins with a twist. If I were in the Olympics for any non-big time sport and had the opportunity to represent the United States of America, I think the pressure would be the same. Knowing myself, and knowing how other athletes feel, the Olympic competition is much more than just receiving a plethora of media attention and winning gold. It's an iconic feeling knowing that you are representing this country in such a positive light. At the end of the day, if I were to win gold in a smaller sport that most people do not know and understand the rules, I still won gold for the United States. Point, blank, period.
It's the one time that everyone in the country is cheering for the same team, and to be quite honest, is completely and utterly thrilled with every victory and success that Team USA achieves. The wild part of the Olympics is that the best of the best from each country come together and compete, and most don't earn a medal. As a competitive athlete, you probably would feel like a failure. You compete and work and train to win a medal for you, your family, and your country, and when you lose, of course you feel like a failure. In hindsight, I don't think that's failure. I think that's doing your best, and representing your country in a positive light. And, that's sport. There's one winner, and that's how it should be. |