Jesse Owens (1913-1980) won his fourth Olympic gold medal at the Berlin Games on this date in 1936. His extraordinary talent and discipline were matched by the dignity of his bearing and person and his achievement is one of the most inspiring stories in athletics.



It's conveniently forgotten how fawning was the coverage of the Berlin Olympic Games by much of the media, the New York Times, for example, running stories with headlines like Olympics Leave Glow of Pride in The Reich. There will almost certainly be a similar tone to coverage of the 2008 games in the presence of the butchers of Beijing.



It would be a fitting and honorable gesture, and a reminder of American aspirations and ideals, were the athletes who will represent the United States at the 2008 Olympic Games to name Jesse Owens as their honorary captain.