When sports chiropractors first appeared at the Olympic Games in the 1980s, it was alongside individual athletes who had experienced the benefits of chiropractic care in their training and recovery processes at home. Fast forward to Paris 2024, where chiropractic care was available in the polyclinic for all athletes, and the attitude has now evolved to recognize that “every athlete deserves access to sports chiropractic."
MTV or Shakespeare
MTV has become "the" music television station around the world. It entertains people from diverse cultures and returns mega dollars to its investors. It requires simple attention to its many videos and is purely passive on the viewers' part. It's easy, it's fun, it demands nothing from us. Most of all, it doesn't require participation on our behalf.
By way of contrast, Shakespeare demands active participation from the reader. Thinking, vocabulary appreciation, and interpreting the author's thoughts is cognitive exercise. The reader has to commit in order to get. The reader must pay a price for his or her development and entertainment.
Today, in my opinion, many in the chiropractic profession and too many of its leaders are MTV oriented. They refuse to think, plan, implement, evaluate, and develop solutions to the global problems confronting our profession. Medicare, Erisa, third party reimbursement, managed health care, workers' compensation, commissions in the military, etc. all need a Shakespearian attitude on all our parts.
When was the last time you helped with money, for political action on the state and federal level? How much did you donate to research? Do you support your alma mater? Do you appreciate those companies in chiropractic established for DCs with the kind of vision that benefits you today? Those companies have a Shakespearian attitude!
It's time we all ceased our MTV attitude and got active; get committed to guaranteeing chiropractic health service for future generations of Americans and for future doctors of chiropractic.
Will you select Shakespeare? Let's hope.