As an astute observer of human behavior, Baron Pierre de Coubertin knew that the unlimited possibilities of life—the broad horizons—could serve to inspire and motivate young people to reach beyond the traditional confines of their station or class. In his view, sport was a prism through which new possibilities could be envisioned.  He was convinced that the specialization of the modern era and its narrow work roles had imposed oppressive limitations on the masses.  This quote is from his “Message to the Olympia-Berlin Torchrunners,” which appeared in Le Sport Suisse in 1936 in advance of the Summer Games.  It is hard not to see a veiled criticism of the regimented German society under the National Socialists in this passage.

“The mind must be freed from the bonds that excessive specialization has imposed on it. It must escape from the oppressive narrowness of exclusive professions. The broad horizons available to our age must be shown to each person at the threshold of active life, no matter how fleeting that glimpse may be.”