Weekend Watch: Jesse Owens at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin

With nearly every major sports league suspended because of the COVID-19 pandemic, fans around the world are yearning for a return to normalcy.

The sports we love will be back, but in the interim, as we wait out the virus that has turned our world upside down, it's important to stay connected to the games we love.

Our Weekend Watch feature touches on the most significant moments in sports history, and luckily for us in this modern age, many of them are viewable online, in their entirety.

Jesse Owens at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin

Words like "courage" and "adversity" are bandied about in sports discourse these days, but they're most often overstatements. 

Do spates of injuries or a losing streak present challenges? Of course. Are they any comparison to the real struggles people face in this world on a daily basis? Probably not.

But that doesn't mean true adverse situations are impossible in the sports sphere, and I can't think of a more courageous act in sports than Jesse Owens sailing into Nazi Germany to dominate the 1936 Olympic Games.

Reviewing the footage, it doesn't take long to realize just how amazing Owens was. In his first event, the 100 meters, he seems to be out for a jog, while his opponents are all out behind. 

Next came the long jump, and he nearly didn't advance out of the qualifying round because of two early faults. Owens' third jump was enough to advance, however, and he outdueled German Luz Long to win the gold medal.

Long and Owens walked together, arm in arm, after the medal ceremony, which was quite a statement, considering Hitler had refused to acknowledge Owens after the 100 meters.

A day later, Owens won the 200 meters over Mack Robinson, who you might know better as the older brother of Jackie Robinson. Again, I'm struck by the ease with which Owens ran.

I wish I could have found better standalone video for the 200, but this is the best I could get.

Owens' final gold medal came in the 4x100 relay, but this is where the feel-good story takes a bit of a turn, though you can't attribute the turn to Owens.

Owens and Ralph Metcalfe replaced two Jewish runners, Marty Glickman and Sam Stoller, on the 4x100 team on the day of the race.

Although it was never confirmed, it has been speculated that the change came under pressure from the hosting Nazis, who wanted to keep Jews from competing. According to Glickman, Owens opposed the switch but was instructed, "You'll do as you're told."

The Americans crushed the competition.

Even though the 4x100 decision mars this story, Owens' performances — along with all the other black athletes who achieved greatness in Berlin — infuriated and embarrassed the Nazis on the world stage.

Anybody who does that is a sports hero, in my book.