Do Sports Inspire Us?

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I know there is a prevailing thought that professional athletes are lucky to get paid playing games. But do they inspire us? As in, are people who are at this very moment watching NFL Preseason games itching to get outsider and toss a football around? Did the recent World Cup get people out there kicking a ball around? I just read an article that might suggest yes, sports do inspire us. The article comes from Cycling Weekly. Cycling Weekly found that the recent Tour de France Femmes might have had a significant impact on female cyclists, not just in France, but globally. Check this out: During the 9-day women’s Tour, Cycling Weekly found a 15% increase of French women logging rides on Strava, with 28% more distance. That might not be a surprise, given that the race takes place in France, but there’s more to it. Globally, Strava saw that during those nine days, the number of women that logged their longest-ever rides leaped by 30%, with 60% of Strava women logging their first-ever 100km rides, 41% at 50 or more kilometers. Three-quarters of those rides were listed as solo efforts. This would suggest that ladies worldwide were either watching or following their sisters as they raced the Tour, and got out on their own in solidarity. Come to think of it, it did seem like I was getting passed by more women than usual during that time period. I find stuff like this interesting. I think it would be really interesting to find out if there is an uptick in running or swimming when the Olympics roll around in 2028. Link is to a short of Kim Le Court’s Stage 6 victory: