Wife’s Perspective On Sports: Olympics Reinforce Importance Of Family Support

USA skier Bode Miller talks with his wife Morgan after his bronze medal run in Sunday’s Super G event at the Sochi Olympics. (Photo: USA Today Sports)

City of Champions co-editor Matt Gajtka welcomes his wife Jillian back for her regular “Wife’s Perspective” column. Read her previous piece on the stupidity of pink sports apparel.

For the past week and a half, the world has been consumed by watching the Olympics, myself included. While we cheer for our country’s athletes in all sports from ice skating to hockey to snowboard cross and downhill skiing, we learn about their personal lives, including their spouses and family.

While watching the prime-time coverage Sunday night on NBC, I was sitting on my couch with tears running down my face after Bode Miller won bronze in the Super G event and was asked about racing for his little brother who passed away last spring. You could just see his emotions overcome him.

It reminded me that these athletes have pain and struggles just like the rest of us, but they usually also have someone supporting them through everything.

NBC has focused a lot on Bode Miller and his wife Morgan a lot over the last few days. It is a great story of how they met when she wasn’t very interested – he knew right away he was going to marry her – and how supportive Morgan is at these Olympics. On Sunday, Bode raced in the middle of the group, so he had to wait a while for the remainder of the skiers to complete their runs.

Through it all, Morgan was constantly encouraging him and being positive about his time and current standing.

In my own life, even though my husband isn’t a professional athlete, I’m always looking for ways to be encouraging and positive about his writing, broadcasting and physical fitness accomplishments. I do this because it improves our marriage.

I believe I inspire my husband to be a better person in all he does and reminds him that I will always be his No. 1 fan, even though he’ll never win a medal at the Olympics.

All spouses, sports or otherwise, need to be No. 1 fans. By being supportive, it shows the respect you have for your loved one. I promise you, your relationship will thrive because of it.

Jillian is a marketing director for a credit union. She definitely thinks she could do better than the Jamaican bobsled team.