The Milan Winter Olympics offer lessons of unity for a divided America

Divisions are increasing across the country. A recent survey found that more than half of Americans fear the US is headed toward civil war, and two-thirds believe American democracy is under serious threat. Now more than ever, politicians and everyday Americans alike need to be reminded that we are still one country, and that competition without guardrails is quickly becoming something else entirely.

While not erasing complex geopolitical realities, the upcoming Winter Olympics from February 6 to 22 in Milan, Italy, can be a reminder of the power of unity. Sport can counterbalance divisions at home and abroad. Rather than being a distraction from politics, they can be an example of how things can be done better. On the world stage and in our own communities, athletic participation shows us the value of finding common ground.

As we watch the world’s greatest athletes converge on Milan, we must carry the Olympic spirit beyond our television screens and into our Little League fields, gyms, community leagues and even our most controversial public spaces. Our lawmakers should carry that spirit to the halls of Congress and their state capitals. We must apply the lessons of rivalry without hate and national pride without rancor to the way we live side by side at home.

The Olympic Games began more than 2,000 years ago in ancient Greece as an opportunity for the citizens of Greek city-states to come together, demonstrate their athletic prowess, and trade truly violent conflict – which was ubiquitous at the time – for rules-based sport. Rulers instituted the “Olympic Truce,” guaranteeing safe participation during the games.

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The first modern Olympic Games took place in 1896 in Athens, Greece, and reflected the spirit of unity, cultural exchange and excellence exemplified by their historical predecessor. Beginning in the 1990s, the United Nations General Assembly even revived the tradition of the Olympic Truce, adopting a resolution before each Summer and Winter Games calling on member states to suspend hostilities during the Olympic period.

The Games do not deny conflicts, of course, but they do show how they can be resolved. And they show how sport can be a diplomatic language when politics fails.

A recent example comes from the 2018 Winter Olympics, when North Korean and South Korean athletes competed together on the same women’s ice hockey team and marched under the same Korean Peninsula flag during the opening ceremony, amid ongoing political tensions between the two nations.

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Sports serve diplomatic purposes by bringing countries together and facilitating conversations. Such meetings do not directly resolve disputes, but they do reduce threat perception between rivals and reopen communication channels. They show us how commonality can be found even with people very different from us.

North Koreans and South Koreans have major cultural differences, but they also share a history, language and a desire for dignity for their people. Teamwork on the ice briefly highlighted these shared interests.

Viewers can also find similarities with their fellow countrymen by watching athletes from different backgrounds compete against each other. It is normal to feel patriotic when you see the great athletes of your country running together, competing and raising the national flag in victory. Global sporting events show how shared national pride can flourish and rise above prejudice or division.

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Competing vigorously while respecting the rules is consistent with American constitutional values. The principles we can learn in sports – discipline, respect for our opponents, fair play, restraint in victory and defeat – carry over into other elements of our lives. These same customs ensure that elections are hard-fought but respectable, with the roughest contests ending in a handshake.

Although a sporting event on the global scale of the Olympics or the World Cup only happens every few years, what happens among nations during the Games mirrors what is already happening — quietly — in American communities every weekend. On Little League baseball and softball fields and Friday night high school football games, church leagues and recreation centers, our children learn how to compete without hating their opponents, how to follow the rules even when emotions run high, and how, by working as teams, we can accomplish more than we can alone.

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The Games do not deny conflicts, of course, but they do show how they can be resolved. And they show how sport can be a diplomatic language when politics fails.

Just as the Olympic Village is a microcosm of the world, a twelve-and-under girls basketball team is a microcosm of a local community. Different backgrounds, different beliefs, different family stories, all connected by a love for the sport and shared rules and goals.

Sports create civic habits so needed in our civility-starved world: restraint, respect, discipline and team-oriented cooperation. Whether in our small towns or on the world stage, shared athletic rituals sustain our nation and remind us that all Americans play for the same team, under the same flag.

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In times of great division, our leaders need to be reminded that another path is possible. Polarization is not inevitable. Civility can wane, but it can also flourish.

It is important that we protect the global institutions that allow us to compete without hostility and participate in the local institutions that do the same. The next time you watch a global sporting event or participate in a local sporting event, remember that the spirit on display is not just reserved for the world’s greatest athletes. It is a model for how free people, at every level of society, can live, compete, and still recognize each other as fellow citizens.