Are Olympic medal winners "heroes"?

Question

On the BBC the British medal winners have just been described as Olympic "heroes". Am I the only one to be annoyed by this misuse of the English language? Running faster than another person is not the definition of "hero", as far as I'm concerned.

Answer 1

Gifted – YES.  Hero's NO!

Professional athlete's competing...just WRONG!

Answer 2

No,  A hero is someone who helps others without regard for their own personal wellbeing.

I too am annoyed by the loose use of "hero" in today's culture.

Answer 3

Meh, like when Paula Radcliffe cried, lol, or the boxer who said, they was glad they lost because now they could go home to their family, (who were at ringside).

One of my personal trainers is a former Junior Olympic Boxer, and both him and me believe that most of them use performance enhancing drugs now.

What message does all this send to the kids, they're far from hero's.

The hero's are those who don't take any credit for being a hero, our rescue services and paramedics our doctors and nurses, the people who are out there saving people every second of every day, and don't even ask for a thank-you, let alone to have a medal stuck around their neck for running a hundred metres every 4 years.

Answer 4

In a lesser sense of the word I would say yes because they have inspired national pride.

Of course though they are far from the everyday heroes that get no attention or recognition. These are the heroes society can not do without.

Answer 5

im with you....   everyone is a hero these days. i saved a womans from drowning once and no one ever called me a hero...yet if i got hit by a train im sure somoene would call me a hero for surviving.

Answer 6

IMHO a hero is someone who contributes to a community in a special way or who does something out of selfless motives. You could say that the olympic athletes contributed to the sports community and its fans by winning medals, but that's probably where their heroism would end. After all, they didn't rescue anyone out of a dangerous situation or something like that.

Answer 7

No, quite the opposite, enlightened athletes should have chosen to boycott the Olympics as a protest to China's horrific policies.  The Chinese are now Communist in name only...they are just regular old fascistic capitalists  now...with no concern for "workers" or "consumers" whatsoever.  BUYER BEWARE.

Answer 8

I believe that "hero" is not a bad term for Olympic Gold Medal winners.  They are not just the best in the neighborhood, the local school district, the state competition or the National circuit.  They are the best in the WORLD on that particular day.  They are heroes to the others that love the sport, to children who hold them as role models.  They are heros to a lot of people.  The world comes together in peace to have a sporting competition and the competitors even hug sometimes after its over.  This makes the world seem a lot smaller especially when war continues on as it does for us.  To me, these people are heroes, but maybe I'm a little narrow minded about it.  You may be the one that is right.  However, people like Michael Phelps, Usain Bolt, Nastia Luikin, Shawn Johnson, Misty May-Treanor, Kerri Walsh, the female pole vaulter from Russia, the male pole vaulter from down under, the chinese divers (men and women) and many others deserve to be called heroes for a day.  This is just my opinion.    

Answer 9

A "hero" is a mythological diety. Olympians are heroes just as much as any Guitar Hero.

Answer 10

No but my husband is ;) goooooooooooooooo ARMY!

Answer 11

A hero is a person who knowingly puts his/her life on the line to help someone else.

An athlete is never a hero regardless of his/her accomplishments or what they win. An Olympic gold medal winner or NBA superstar is no more a hero than is Indiana Jones, or Madonna. The media just makes them appear as heroes so that ratings (i.e. profit) can be boosted.  

Answer 12

It is called Journalistic License. I thought you would have got used to it by now!

Answer 13

Yea its pretty stupid, they worked hard for it but i can certainly think of par more heroic things...

Answer 14

you probably NEVER worked hard in your life...you wouldnt understan it! give credit where it is due!

Answer 15

No. Just winning a gold medal or 8 does not make you a hero.

The term has been misused for a very long time - and undoubtedly will be for more time to come.

They are now sporting celebrities. Not heroes.