“The more I think about the Olympics, even from afar, its mere concept stuns me. I can't think of any other line of work where, every four years, people gather to be ranked one, two, and three, then are more or less told to evaporate until the next go-around.”

American journalist and filmmaker

Mary Pilon is an American journalist and filmmaker who covers sports and business. She has written for major outlets including The New Yorker, Bloomberg Businessweek, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal. Her books include The Monopolists, The Kevin Show, Losers: Dispatches From the Other Side of the Scoreboard, and The Longest Race, which she co-authored with Olympian Kara Goucher. Her reporting and writing often reflect the worlds of competition, money, and the people shaped by both.