The Winter Olympics

As many of you are probably aware, the winter Olympics are going on right now in Torino Italy. Amidst the marketing and hype there are actual sporting events taking place. I try to watch when I get a chance as I enjoy bobsledding, ski jumping, and downhill skiing. At times it seemed like it was the X-Games instead with snowboarding going on at first. NBC pads the sporting events with the usual fluff and hype on the American athletes. I could care less about how a certain athlete overcame the death of his aunt’s poodle, but I guess it’s good for ratings; I usually just leave the room until they start competing as I just want to see the action.

But as I’m sitting here watching I think back over the years and it seems the winter Olympics (and the summer games for that matter) have lost a certain edge since the collapse of the Soviet Union and the fall of the Berlin Wall. During the ’70s and ’80s, the games were more of a contest of “us” versus “them.” We rooted for the west, and America in particular, to beat the Soviets and the other communist countries. We just “knew” they were cheating, so we (the west) were always the underdogs. Al Michaels screaming, “Do you believe in miracles? Yes!” when the U.S. beat the mighty Soviets is such a magical moment in U.S. sports history. Those who didn’t grow up during the Cold War probably can’t comprehend the feeling of joy and pride the nation felt when we won. We went on to win the gold medal by beating Finland, but the game that will always be remembered is the miracle on ice. That’s the beauty of the Olympic games and may they continue on.

[tags]cold war,winter olympics,torino,italy,miracle on ice[/tags]