As he watched the modern phenomenon of international competition unfold—steering it as no man ever had or would again—Baron Pierre de Coubertin recognized that sport was an unstoppable force. Once unleashed, it moved forward with an unquenchable demand for more—an inexorable drive to discover the greatest talent and create the circumstances for the greatest possible human performance.  The concept that he characterized as excess in 1901, in an article on “Sports Psychology, Notes on Public Education,” remains the dominant characteristic of competition today as we cheer our favorite teams and heroes on to new heights of glory.

“Today, as in times past, the tendency of sport is toward excess. It aims at more speed, greater height, more strength... always more. That is its drawback, in terms of human balance, but so be it! That is also its nobility - and its poetry.”