The piece by E.J. Dionne Jr.  is a bit sappy and unrealistic.  The media bears a great deal of the guilt in sensationalizing the less important aspects of sport heroes.  A comparison, if you will...The first Gold Medal this cycle was won by a woman, her 6th.  She is a shooter, and an outspoken advocate for the 2nd Amendment.  Yet, instead of large media coverage on major networks, one has to search on more conservative media sources to find anything about her.  Compare that with the coverage of the saber fencer who "is the 1st American woman to wear a hijab while competing."  I'm sure we would have enjoyed coverage of any athlete who decided to wear a Christian cross attached to their head, during competition.  Sadly, this kind of manipulation appeals to many today. Athletes competing at the Olympic level deserve accolades and not devious political maneuvers to further a dishonest agenda.