1 00:00:00,600 --> 00:00:03,080 Speaker 1: All right, the Winter Olympics are just a few weeks away. 2 00:00:03,600 --> 00:00:06,720 Speaker 1: We watch these people with a mixture of shock and awe. 3 00:00:06,800 --> 00:00:10,119 Speaker 1: I mean, how does anybody do what they do? And 4 00:00:10,160 --> 00:00:13,039 Speaker 1: you also ask yourself how they manage to monetize what 5 00:00:13,119 --> 00:00:15,239 Speaker 1: they do so they can afford to keep doing it. 6 00:00:15,720 --> 00:00:19,680 Speaker 1: But this isn't anything new. What's equally amazing is the 7 00:00:19,680 --> 00:00:23,279 Speaker 1: origin of the Olympic Games and how those athletes made 8 00:00:23,280 --> 00:00:26,720 Speaker 1: a living more than two thousand years ago. These guys 9 00:00:26,760 --> 00:00:30,200 Speaker 1: performed almost entirely in the nude, so there were no 10 00:00:30,280 --> 00:00:34,240 Speaker 1: sneakers to sell. I'm Patty Steele making a buck off 11 00:00:34,320 --> 00:00:40,600 Speaker 1: sweat equity. That's next on the backstory the book. We're 12 00:00:40,600 --> 00:00:44,360 Speaker 1: back with the backstory. When you watch world class athletes 13 00:00:44,400 --> 00:00:48,000 Speaker 1: compete in the Olympics, aren't you blown away by how 14 00:00:48,120 --> 00:00:53,000 Speaker 1: physically perfect they look? So jealous? Now, honestly, they're just 15 00:00:53,040 --> 00:00:55,720 Speaker 1: making the very most of what they have, and they're 16 00:00:55,760 --> 00:00:57,880 Speaker 1: doing their best to make a buck off of it. Right, 17 00:00:58,240 --> 00:01:00,960 Speaker 1: if you think about it, who wouldn't. Well, it turns 18 00:01:01,000 --> 00:01:04,520 Speaker 1: out there's a backstory about that motivation to look and 19 00:01:04,640 --> 00:01:08,080 Speaker 1: perform at your very best and also get some payback. 20 00:01:08,400 --> 00:01:11,600 Speaker 1: And it goes back thousands of years to ancient Greece 21 00:01:11,959 --> 00:01:16,600 Speaker 1: and the ancient Olympics. The original Olympics took place in Olympia, 22 00:01:16,680 --> 00:01:21,240 Speaker 1: Greece every four years from seven seventy six BC to 23 00:01:21,360 --> 00:01:26,440 Speaker 1: three ninety three AD. That's almost twelve hundred years. By comparison, 24 00:01:26,520 --> 00:01:30,240 Speaker 1: the modern Olympics have only been around since eighteen ninety six, 25 00:01:30,480 --> 00:01:34,080 Speaker 1: just the past one hundred and thirty years. What's interesting, 26 00:01:34,280 --> 00:01:38,679 Speaker 1: those ancient athletes performed in a surprising way. On top 27 00:01:38,720 --> 00:01:41,200 Speaker 1: of that, they and their trainers found a way to 28 00:01:41,200 --> 00:01:44,440 Speaker 1: make a lot of money off their physical perfection. I 29 00:01:44,440 --> 00:01:47,400 Speaker 1: guess it's kind of like our star athletes do today, 30 00:01:47,560 --> 00:01:51,600 Speaker 1: only ooh way different. Now. Today athletes pretty much agree 31 00:01:51,640 --> 00:01:55,760 Speaker 1: that their uniforms are totally about feeling good about themselves 32 00:01:55,760 --> 00:01:59,000 Speaker 1: physically and mentally so they can perform at their best. 33 00:01:59,440 --> 00:02:01,480 Speaker 1: You really have to look at them in their body 34 00:02:01,560 --> 00:02:05,240 Speaker 1: hugging uniforms and think about how crazy amazing they look 35 00:02:05,600 --> 00:02:08,240 Speaker 1: and the work that it takes to get there. So 36 00:02:08,440 --> 00:02:12,400 Speaker 1: where did it actually all begin. Well, it goes back 37 00:02:12,440 --> 00:02:16,760 Speaker 1: to those original ancient Olympics almost three thousand years ago. 38 00:02:16,960 --> 00:02:20,960 Speaker 1: Those guys even then were all about showing off their 39 00:02:21,000 --> 00:02:24,400 Speaker 1: perfect bodies and believe it or not. When they competed, 40 00:02:24,600 --> 00:02:27,920 Speaker 1: they did it completely in the nude. They trained that 41 00:02:28,000 --> 00:02:32,320 Speaker 1: way too. It was done in the nude for several reasons. First, 42 00:02:32,360 --> 00:02:35,200 Speaker 1: it was a tribute to the Greek god Zeus. They 43 00:02:35,240 --> 00:02:38,160 Speaker 1: wanted to honor him by showing him their physical power 44 00:02:38,560 --> 00:02:42,200 Speaker 1: and muscular exquisiteness as a show of gratitude for what 45 00:02:42,280 --> 00:02:46,079 Speaker 1: he'd given them. In addition, it was intended to strip 46 00:02:46,120 --> 00:02:51,000 Speaker 1: away social rank and just focus on physical prowess. And truthfully, 47 00:02:51,000 --> 00:02:53,200 Speaker 1: it was probably also an ego boost for the athletes 48 00:02:53,280 --> 00:02:56,480 Speaker 1: right because it didn't hurt that showing off their gorgeous, 49 00:02:56,560 --> 00:03:01,320 Speaker 1: powerful bodies could intimidate their competitors. Now here's the thing. 50 00:03:01,760 --> 00:03:05,640 Speaker 1: It was only guys both competing in and watching the games. 51 00:03:06,160 --> 00:03:09,920 Speaker 1: No women were allowed anywhere near these stadiums. These guys 52 00:03:10,000 --> 00:03:13,000 Speaker 1: wanted to be compared to the true heroes of their culture, 53 00:03:13,560 --> 00:03:17,959 Speaker 1: the big mythological names in art and literature like Achilles, 54 00:03:18,200 --> 00:03:21,880 Speaker 1: Hercules and Ammes and of course Adonis. So at these 55 00:03:21,919 --> 00:03:25,960 Speaker 1: ancient games they did everything from foot races to jumping 56 00:03:26,360 --> 00:03:30,280 Speaker 1: discus throwing, javelin throwing yikes, can you imagine javelins in 57 00:03:30,320 --> 00:03:35,760 Speaker 1: the nude? Wrestling the pentathlon and boxing, all totally naked 58 00:03:35,880 --> 00:03:41,040 Speaker 1: and very sweaty Ah, there's the magic ingredients that turned 59 00:03:41,120 --> 00:03:45,480 Speaker 1: these games into moneymakers. Sweat was the thing, the really 60 00:03:45,520 --> 00:03:49,280 Speaker 1: big thing. All right. Let's start from the beginning. These 61 00:03:49,320 --> 00:03:53,120 Speaker 1: guys got ready to rumble by having messuses rubbed their 62 00:03:53,120 --> 00:03:56,720 Speaker 1: bodies down with high end olive oil before their events 63 00:03:56,760 --> 00:04:00,080 Speaker 1: got underway. Everybody believed that the scent of the the 64 00:04:00,160 --> 00:04:04,720 Speaker 1: olive oil mixed with the sweat was incredibly masculine. Okay, 65 00:04:05,120 --> 00:04:08,720 Speaker 1: kind of like an exotic locker room right. Anyway, then 66 00:04:08,720 --> 00:04:13,400 Speaker 1: the competition began. Remember it's grease in August and September 67 00:04:13,800 --> 00:04:17,320 Speaker 1: during a festival for Zeus, it's usually well above eighty 68 00:04:17,360 --> 00:04:21,160 Speaker 1: five degrees and really humid, So these guys are oiled 69 00:04:21,279 --> 00:04:24,760 Speaker 1: up wildly sweaty from the heat and then the workout, 70 00:04:25,200 --> 00:04:27,919 Speaker 1: and they're covered with dust from running and rolling in 71 00:04:27,960 --> 00:04:31,400 Speaker 1: the dirt. At the end of each event, the athletes 72 00:04:31,440 --> 00:04:35,279 Speaker 1: took their dirty but still glistening naked bodies back to 73 00:04:35,360 --> 00:04:39,560 Speaker 1: the apoditarium or locker room or wherever, and either they 74 00:04:39,760 --> 00:04:43,279 Speaker 1: or the gymnasium sweat collector had the tasty job of 75 00:04:43,400 --> 00:04:48,479 Speaker 1: using a metal scraper called a strigel to scrape oil, sweat, 76 00:04:48,839 --> 00:04:53,120 Speaker 1: dead skin, and dust off the athlete's bodies. Now they 77 00:04:53,120 --> 00:04:56,599 Speaker 1: were left with a bunch of sticky goo called gloiose. 78 00:04:57,000 --> 00:05:00,080 Speaker 1: What did they do with that stuff? Well, it was 79 00:05:00,120 --> 00:05:04,800 Speaker 1: packaged in vials and sold. It was taken to markets everywhere. 80 00:05:04,839 --> 00:05:09,000 Speaker 1: I mean it was actually collected, marketed, and sold from 81 00:05:09,040 --> 00:05:13,000 Speaker 1: gymnasiums all the time, but it was especially valuable after 82 00:05:13,120 --> 00:05:16,560 Speaker 1: big games like the Olympics. In fact, the gym owners 83 00:05:16,600 --> 00:05:19,680 Speaker 1: would even scrape the gunk off the walls and floors 84 00:05:19,920 --> 00:05:23,960 Speaker 1: were popular, athletes trained, and businesses would bid on these 85 00:05:24,040 --> 00:05:28,599 Speaker 1: vials of goo. The cost was really high and it 86 00:05:28,720 --> 00:05:32,520 Speaker 1: funded athletes training in their lifestyle as well as supporting 87 00:05:32,520 --> 00:05:36,720 Speaker 1: the gymnasiums themselves. People that could afford it rubbed it 88 00:05:36,839 --> 00:05:40,680 Speaker 1: all over their bodies for a bunch of different medicinal purposes. 89 00:05:41,120 --> 00:05:44,400 Speaker 1: They especially used it to rub into aching body parts, 90 00:05:44,680 --> 00:05:49,559 Speaker 1: to reduce inflammation and even treat infections and works. Women 91 00:05:49,680 --> 00:05:52,280 Speaker 1: used it to help with monthly cramps, but they also 92 00:05:52,400 --> 00:05:55,599 Speaker 1: used it as a facecream and a tonic, and both 93 00:05:55,680 --> 00:05:59,520 Speaker 1: men and women used it as an aphrodisiac. They believed 94 00:05:59,560 --> 00:06:02,279 Speaker 1: that they would capture some of the athletes youth and 95 00:06:02,400 --> 00:06:07,160 Speaker 1: virility by soaking in this stuff. Bottom line is, athletes 96 00:06:07,279 --> 00:06:11,560 Speaker 1: back then as now were considered celebrities and their magic 97 00:06:11,800 --> 00:06:15,919 Speaker 1: sweat goo was a really sought after product. Hard to 98 00:06:16,000 --> 00:06:19,080 Speaker 1: imagine they smelled too good. But think about it, is 99 00:06:19,120 --> 00:06:21,919 Speaker 1: it any weirder than what we do these days? We 100 00:06:22,040 --> 00:06:26,240 Speaker 1: use botox, fillaers, plastic surgery. I mean, we all want 101 00:06:26,279 --> 00:06:29,400 Speaker 1: to feel good and look good and also feel better 102 00:06:29,440 --> 00:06:32,880 Speaker 1: about ourselves, right, we want to look like the celebrities 103 00:06:32,920 --> 00:06:36,159 Speaker 1: we admire. It was no different three thousand years ago. 104 00:06:36,760 --> 00:06:40,160 Speaker 1: And when it comes to merchandising stuff, stop and consider this. 105 00:06:40,760 --> 00:06:45,360 Speaker 1: Today athletes make a bundle selling all kinds of stuff, sneakers, clothing, 106 00:06:45,480 --> 00:06:49,799 Speaker 1: diet supplements, tons of other things. The ancient Olympians weren't 107 00:06:49,839 --> 00:06:52,640 Speaker 1: selling clothes since they did their thing in the nude. 108 00:06:53,040 --> 00:06:56,600 Speaker 1: They didn't sell sneakers or pretty much anything else except 109 00:06:56,600 --> 00:07:00,599 Speaker 1: for the gunk they scraped off their bodies with those trigules. 110 00:07:01,160 --> 00:07:04,480 Speaker 1: Everybody wanted some of that, and it was an incredible 111 00:07:04,560 --> 00:07:07,440 Speaker 1: revenue stream for the athletes and for the gyms these 112 00:07:07,480 --> 00:07:10,240 Speaker 1: guys trained in, so at the end of the day, 113 00:07:10,640 --> 00:07:14,880 Speaker 1: their motivation really wasn't any different than ours. We all 114 00:07:15,000 --> 00:07:16,720 Speaker 1: want to find a way to make the most of 115 00:07:16,760 --> 00:07:20,720 Speaker 1: what we're given right. Hope you're enjoying The Backstory with 116 00:07:20,880 --> 00:07:25,120 Speaker 1: Patty Steele. Please leave a review and follow or subscribe 117 00:07:25,120 --> 00:07:29,239 Speaker 1: for free to get new episodes delivered automatically. Also feel 118 00:07:29,240 --> 00:07:31,200 Speaker 1: free to dm me if you have a story you'd 119 00:07:31,240 --> 00:07:34,120 Speaker 1: like me to cover. On Facebook, It's Patty Steele and 120 00:07:34,200 --> 00:07:44,360 Speaker 1: on Instagram Real Patty Steele. I'm Patty Steele. The Backstories 121 00:07:44,400 --> 00:07:48,520 Speaker 1: a production of iHeartMedia, Premiere Networks, the Elvis Duran Group, 122 00:07:48,600 --> 00:07:52,400 Speaker 1: and Steel Trap Productions. Our producer is Doug Fraser. Our 123 00:07:52,400 --> 00:07:56,560 Speaker 1: writer Jake Kushner. We have new episodes every Tuesday and Friday. 124 00:07:56,920 --> 00:07:59,160 Speaker 1: Feel free to reach out to me with comments and 125 00:07:59,200 --> 00:08:02,880 Speaker 1: even stories. Ag coestions on Instagram at Real Patty Steele 126 00:08:03,040 --> 00:08:06,120 Speaker 1: and on Facebook at Patty Steele. Thanks for listening to 127 00:08:06,120 --> 00:08:09,560 Speaker 1: the Backstory with Patty Steele. The pieces of history you 128 00:08:09,640 --> 00:08:11,160 Speaker 1: didn't know you needed to know.