By the end of March 2020, sports lovers had lost March Madness, the NBA playoffs, and the first part of the MLB season to COVID-19. Then the Summer Olympics were canceled, too.
We never got March Madness 2020 back, but the Olympics were only delayed until the same time in 2021. The recent Olympic swim trials in Omaha were an exciting precursor to the main event later this summer, and now that we are so close to the opening ceremonies, I am reminded of all that the Olympics represent.
The Olympics are a chance to put aside our differences and unite around what we all have in common: our identity as Americans. The sight of so many athletes from vastly different backgrounds standing together for our national anthem always fills me with pride.
While this year’s Games will be held in Tokyo, the Summer Olympics will make its way to the United States in 2028. I was proud to introduce and help pass a bill that grants the U.S. Mint the authority to make 2028’s Olympic Medals, which the Mint has never done in the past.
My bill also asks the Treasury Department to create quarters commemorating sports played by America’s youth. This will coincide with the 2028 Summer Games and the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be held in the U.S. as well. And from 2022 to 2025, it directs the department to mint quarters celebrating great American women like Maya Angelou, Sally Ride, Wilma Mankiller, Adelina Otero-Warren, and Anna May Wong, the first five women to be featured through this program.
Just a few weeks before the lighting of the Olympic flame this year, our nation will celebrate Independence Day. As we approach these occasions, I can’t help but reflect on what they have in common. Both are about patriotism, and both have the power to bring us together. And at the heart of each lies a deep sense of gratitude that we are citizens of the United States of America.
If we are fortunate to call ourselves Americans, then we are even luckier that God made us Nebraskans. Nebraskans are among the most patriotic Americans you’ll ever meet. Our state has a rich and storied history of military service, and generations of Nebraskans have answered the call to defend our freedom. From parades in Seward, America’s Fourth of July City, to celebrations in Omaha, Ralston, Bellevue, Central City, Crawford, Alma, and other towns across our state, we don’t have to look far to find a way to join in on the July Fourth festivities.
Some of my happiest memories are from participating in celebrations and parades like these all across our state, and of Fourth of July days enjoyed at Merritt Reservoir, tubing down the Niobrara River, watching the demolition derby and fireworks at the Cherry County Fairgrounds, or hosting friends and family in our backyard for a barbeque.
Not all of these things were possible in 2020 – but thankfully, this year will be different. I hope you are able to spend America’s 245th birthday with the family, friends, and neighbors you may not have been able to see last year. God bless, and happy Independence Day!
Thank you for participating in the democratic process. I look forward to visiting with you again next week.