My children believe in heroes. I want heroes too, but real life gets in the way. How can I watch China’s Olympic divers without recalling the reports that some are competing with injuries, sacrificing themselves for national pride, and a chance at an apartment? How can I watch the runners’ rippling bodies without remembering Marion Jones? She looked magnificent in Sydney, but last year she admitted doping, after which she lost her medals and her vaunted invincibility. I wonder what will happen to the inspirational children’s biographies of Jones and other disgraced athletes. Will the authors attempt new editions? Or will the books simply vanish from the shelves of public libraries? The media frenzy surrounding Jones was real, but her records were not.

⇒ Competing images of the Games (The Boston Globe)