If the Olympic Games were being held right now, you would see why we Greeks attach such paramount importance to athletics. Oh, I can’t describe the scene in mere words. You really should experience firsthand the incredible pleasure of standing in that cheering crowd, admiring the athletes’ courage and good looks, their amazing physical conditioning—their great skill and irresistible strength—all their bravery and their pride, their unbeatable determination, their unstoppable passion for victory!

I know that if you were there in the Stadium, you wouldn’t be able to stop applauding.

—LUCIAN, Anacharsis, C. A.D. 140