BEIJING — Two heroes took the ice on Sheet C at the National Aquatics Centre here Saturday night, wearing jerseys instead of their usual scrubs, carrying brooms instead of stethoscopes. For the next two-plus hours they pushed, swept, called, competed alongside their curling teammates—thousands of miles away from their other respective teams cheering them on.
It is a known reality of these Winter Olympics that many athletes maintain other jobs outside of their sports. Such are the financial demands of chasing a dream overseen by an international sports organization that still clings to the myth of amateurism and pockets the bulk of the profits.