With apologies to my friend Todd who participated in the Olympics, I have come to the conclusion that I don't enjoy watching the games anymore. Some people are already buzzing about how cool it will be to wacth the winter games this year but I just don't get it. It seems to me that if you enjoy professional or major college sports that the olympics pale in comparison.
First of all I hate the TV coverage of the games. It's ludicrous that into today's 24 year global market that they show the games edited and tape delayed. Nothing ruins a sporting event more than chopping it up over several nights or showing it hours after most people have read about the winner on the Internet. I also detest the awful human interest stories. I really don't care if a the swedish skier grew up in poverty and had to ski up hill both ways to school. So what? Save the lame stories for the lifetime network.
The second problem with the olympics is that they are only every four years and feature sports that are not exactly mainstream. How many other times during the year do we watch skiing or curling. Even there marque sport of Ice Hockey is only the 4th or 5th most popular sport in America. It is hard to become passionate followers of these sports because we only see them every fours years or so. I couldn't tell you a single person on the bobsled team or a single speed skater. Why then should I turn on my TV and root for them? What made the Steelers victory so special last week were the previous 30 years of following that team. I have been through the ups and downs and identify with them. I cannot say the same thing about the olympics.
Finally, since the end of the cold war there is no enemy to cheer against. Beating China doesn't necessarily inspire the same hostility as beating the Russians once did. In fact, this year the only person I am rooting against is Bode Miller because he is such a pompass donkey. It's just not quite the same as when I was growing up. I remember beating the russians in hockey in 1980. Those were good times, but until Al Queda suits up a team we will not have an enemy worth rooting against.
7 comments:
The Olympics suck..period.
I couldn't disagree more with either of you. Now, that is not to say that all is right with the Olympic Games (e.g. 2 athletes banned for using Propecia).
I love the Olympics. I love the idea of competing for & representing your country against other countries from around the world in various athletic contests. In fact, I gained a lot of respect for Allen Iverson for the way that he carried himself & the attitude that he had in the 2004 Summer Games. When other superstar players wouldn't play because they weren't being compensated & they were afraid for their safety Iverson considered it a privelage to represent his country & he went out there & gave 110% every game!
I think the fact that most of these sports aren't mainstream & that the Olympics are every 4 years is what makes the Games so compelling. I wouldn't normally tune-in to watch luge every week during luge season but I will watch it enthusiastically every 4 years when folks from my country are competing against folks from other countries.
I'd have to think that being an Olympic athlete would have to be one of the highlights of a person's life.
And, with the exception of the Munich Games in '72 the Olympics seem to be a time to set aside political differences and compete for the sake of competition in the spirit of peace and goodwill.
Can you bleieve it? I just cancelled Comcast two days before the Olympics. Now I only get channel 10 out of Lansing and no other coverage. What was I thinking?
I actually agree with some the premises of your post. I do like the human interest stories, but I really dislike the time the media spends on the "favored" athlete that actually tanks under the scrutiny. I also really hate spending my day turning down the volume on my radio or quickly having to change the channel on my TV becuase the medal count or individual winners are about to be blurted out. I also read a story about NBC forbidding their commentators to use the word "we" when refering to the wins and medal counts (go, go leftwingcookoodeffenciveoffenciveamericabashing media!).
I can't believe that they were showing canada's women's hockey. Ugg. Worse than that figure skating. To enjoy the olypics you have to be A) married B) gay C) a woman
Thank you!
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