twodoebs
Random Thoughts From Our Random MindsSunday, February 19, 2006
Why Are The Olympics So Dull This Year?
By: doebtownI love the Olympic movement. I ESPECIALLY love winter sports. I get very excited about opportunities to look at pretty pictures on snowy mountain tops on the ol' HDTV. And this year, I have a new addition to my Olympic enjoyment in Sweet Kati as a partner who shares this passion for the games.
So why do the Torino games seem so laborious to watch?
Part of it, I'm sure, is that Team USA ain't doin' so well. Between the unmet expectations from the big stars of the skiing and snowboarding events to the untimely departure of the skating darling, this just isn't our year.
And it IS the first Olympics in a while that didn't have some *special* significance--Athens . . . humm, well now that I write that, I guess Athens didn't really mean too much either. But Salt Lake City was--obviously--a home town Olympics, not to mention the first games held after 9/11 AND the first of the new millennium.
And during four of the last five Olympics (those being Athens, Sydney, Nagano, and Atlanta), I guess I didn't really have ANYTHING to do all day long, other than sit around and watch television coverage. Here again, the one I COULDN'T fully commit myself to watching was Salt Lake City, and that was pretty awesome in-and-of itself, so I didn't NEED to 100% veg-out to stay pretty connected with the activity. So--taking advantage of FiVO as to not miss anything (exciting or otherwise), notwithstanding--this is the first time in a long time that I've had OTHER things on my mind other than the burning caldron.
But I STILL can't quite put my finger on exactly why I'm not getting into these games. Anybody got any ideas?
1. Disappointment in those expected to do well. This is actually not fair b/c the media chooses its "darlings" for various reasons good and bad, and it just might not be their week! That's ok and they are still unbelievable athletes that desserve our respect.
2. Michelle Kwan's early departure... This one I think is just depression over a "great one" leaving the sport, as we knew she must. I was actually relieved not to have to watch her falter and not be awesome... But it still takes something out of the ladies figure skating competition.
3. Winter sports just aren't as interesting b/c we don't know them as well... I like watching speedskating and short track... I like watching luge and skeleton... I just don't know anything about it, don't know the history and don't know the story. The 90 second intro they give every time is written AFTER the results are known, so it highlights those who are about to win... and it seems less compelling.
4. The internet... which I love, and I check obsessively. HOWEVER, it takes the drama and intrigue out of these events, so I only watch the ones I already know will end the way I want... The rest I tivo through at >>> speed.
5. The best and most interesting reason I heard why the olympics LATELY (past 15 years or so) haven't been as interesting was discussed on the Sirius Satellite radio Olympics channel, and it makes a lot of sense. There just isn't the political background and intrigue of past olympics... We aren't in a cold war with the CCCP, there isn't an iron curtain behind which these athletes train in secret to become ass-kickers that come out once every 4 years to embarrass the USA.... We know all the athletes, and especially in the case of hockey, they all play in america most of the time. We have a new political enemy now, and they don't even PARTICIPATE in the Olympics, so there's no "good v. evil" undercurrent in the games... We are all friends, and we all know eachother, like eachother and respect one another... There's nothing surprising or secretive.
I also think with the open society of easy travel, easy information dispursement, even athlethes from little countries that shouldn't even have a chance aren't interesting b/c they really live and train the US... They just aren't good enough to be on the US olympic team, so they go play for their "native" aruba.
Good topic...
: 12:47 PM**********
: 12:48 PM**********
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