This year’s Olympic Games has been a spectacular celebration of diversity

The 2016 Summer Olympic Games has been a rather contestable one, marked by the host country’s political instability, health and safety concerns, doping scandal involving Team Russia, and the list goes on.

Most recently, various reputable news outlets such as NBC, the Chicago Tribune and The Sun have been caught making discriminatory remarks toward female athletes, adding to the level of controversy surrounding the event.

Despite all of that BS, and with less than one week to go, I contend this year’s Games has not fallen short of being a spectacular celebration of diversity, at least compared to previous years.

Take for example, Team USA’s ‘Final Five’ – Simone Biles, Gabrielle Douglas (both African American), Madison Kocian, Alexandra Raisman (both white) and Lauren Hernandez (Latina). The power quintet secured a decisive and exhilarating victory last Tuesday, one that spoke louder than existing racial stereotypes plaguing American and world gymnastics.

In a small way, this demonstrates opportunities and the possibility for Americans of different colors (or genders) to come together and work towards a common goal – something cynics have failed to note on.

Looking back at the 1912 Summer Olympics where Hopi tribal member Lewis Tewanima won a Silver Medal for the U.S. in the 10,000m race and was still denied citizenship rights, this Final Five is a symbol of how things have developed since.

The significance of this feat transcends the Olympic Games. The question should now be: How do we replicate and foster the same level of camaraderie in everyday American society?

The relationship between what the media offers us and what we choose to read is a matter of supply and demand. We do not need another debate about how women and people of color are portrayed in the media – we need to think beyond that.

We must adopt the correct mindset, which requires, at the very least, meaningful education and a positive outlook.

It is imperative we advocate for a genuine need to be respectful to all athletes regardless of their background.

Nowadays, when people see something controversial, they first thing they do is hit the ‘comment’ button. And comments beget more comments; soon enough there’s a long unintelligible exchange of opposing ideas.

Perhaps the issue grows big enough to sustain even more coverage. But all things die down after a while, and guess what – nothing has changed.

My point is not to discredit the effort of individuals who voice out against or for a certain issue. It is one thing to initiate a conversation and another to ‘do it because everyone else is doing it’.

Contributing blindly can be harmful because it usually makes a matter look worse than it already looks, obscures whatever optimism others have, and ultimately undermines previous efforts to address the issue.

Although various social issues have generated much tension lately, we have made significant progress and are seemingly moving in the right direction.

Change is on its way, we just have to remain patient, watchful and committed. For those who think change is way overdue and demand a speedier alternative, diminishing whatever optimism we still have left in the American society is certainly not the soundest of strategies.

Still not convinced? How about the lovely cover of the most recent issue of Sports Illustrated?

Left to right: Katie Ledecky, Michael Phelps and Simone Biles.