And the message of the Games is...

Just as soon as Sonny can conquer that great obstacle called Learning to Walk, he'll probably get interested in sport. Great, we say. He'll certainly be up to watching the next Olympic Games, in London, and might even begin to idolise some of the ever speedier, higher and stronger heroes. He'll be able to hold them up as... well, there's a problem here. Exactly what message is being transmitted by the modern Olympic Games?

Sporting competition? Fair play and sportsmanship was always the major subtext to sport. Except that apparently doping and drug use are still rampant at the highest levels, with the cheats thereby deriving a very obvious advantage. Unless, of course, virtually every other competitor is a cheat, which would really beget a moral poser: Some folks have even said that it ain't cheatin' if everyone's doin' it. Hmm, but surely cheats are only bothering to run the health risks of doping because others aren't doing it. If everyone could openly do it, the extra advantage would be eliminated, and what would the point be then? Maybe this is a little to complicated for Sonny. Why doesn't he look instead at...

Sporting achievement? Look at the way world records continue to be smashed. Many of the record-breakers succeed honourably, so aren't the Olympics a showcase of how humans will always strive for new heights? Except that apparently today's athletes are getting some 'legit' help: Anything from high-tech tracks for runners to better equipment to deeper pools for swimmers (presumably this has something to do with better buoyancy). No doubt, fanatical hard work and dedication has something to do with it too. But since powerful interests keen to sustain audience interest (and reap profits) know that people want to see records toppled, they are happy to 'assist'. How then could we conscientiously claim that today's sportsmen are definitively an improvement over those of the past? Best not. Instead, mightn't Sonny glorify...

Sporting amity? Yep, sports can transcend barriers, bring people together and all that jazz. Aren't the Games just the very epitome of that? Well, it's true that we have individual cases of, say, a Chinese gymnast generously giving a gift to the American who's just bested her (albeit only in one event). But it wasn't so long ago that countries would boycott the Olympic Games just to make political points (remember Moscow '80 and Los Angeles '84?). In fact, some folks wanted more of the same this year in Beijing. And could we really compare ourselves to the days of the ancient Olympics, when the Greeks would suspend wars for the duration of the Games? We seem to have fallen behind, if anything. Which seems to leave just...

Sporting profit? Ah, now we're talking. Think of the millions of bucks on the line in endorsements, sponsorships and so forth. Even a mere performer in this year's Opening Ceremony can reap a movie deal (never mind that there was some lip-syncing and not even real singing). Sports was always a way out of the ghetto for many poor athletes. But it's only for the very best, of course - and it's not very clear that material success through sport falls squarely into what sports per se should be about.

But why kvetch, eh? The Olympics are a great show, and honest sportsmen still abound. With any luck, sports will help keep Sonny fit and healthy - without his ever being a good enough sportsman for the shadier side of things to ever worry him.