I grew up adoring the Olympics, and this year’s Games, more than the last two Olympiads, have been rekindling that fondness. Being on Reading Week is a license to watch 12 hours a day of the 21st games–but the fact that it’s me doing it comes as a bit of a surprise. After my rabid immersion in the games of 1992, ’94, and ’96 (Nagano was kind of hazy territory), I had become pretty lacklustre about Salt Lake City and Torino; same goes for Vancouver.
Anyway, I figured I had better to do than watch a bunch of lousy liars in an over-hyped, muscle-bound cheat-fest.
But I find, to my pleasant surprise, and against my better cynicism, that I actually care again. The athletes have done a great deal towards that–the organizers, on the other hand, have made me question the readiness of this country for a production on the world stage. All the screw-ups and oversights have left me shaking my head a little, but I know it could be far worse. These Games haven’t been touched by scandal or doping charges (yet), and if the athletes keep doing their part, the rest becomes secondary.
What really burns me up is the image of our country being broadcast by the semi-incompetent monopoly of CTV. The commentators verge on the asinine in their remarks, and have engaged in a role-reversal with American networks, such that Canada is now the one to almost single-mindedly push its athletes. Not content with a little jingoism, they also nearly pray for the under-achievement of other countries’ contenders if it means a higher spot for one of ours.
So, I hope you will forgive us, world, and me, too, as I allow myself to be taken in by the undying charm of this competition, in spite of the growing number of “worst games ever” medals.
I’m just taking it in on NBC whenever I can.
problemgamer
2 Comments
Oh, didn’t even know the Olympics were on. Tells u how much touch I am with the world. I don’t think u need to be ashamed of your country’s jingoism. It happens with every country, especially if they’re the ones holding it. Olympics is seriously like a world war, but with no deaths involved.
That’s true. Organized sports have all these nationalistic or I suppose, “regionalistic” undercurrents… I still enjoy the Olympics more as a triumph of individual will and spirit, and of dreams.
On the subject of the commentary: more specifically, I don’t find myself respecting people who say “This course is STUPID difficult!” or “That was SICK!” on the air, like CTV does… lol. If it was snowboarding, that would be a little more understandable, but it wasn’t. Then there’s the undeserved, mean-spirited commentary, like during figure skating when one of them said, “I thought we’d seen enough falls today in Downhill Skiing!” Seriously? It just comes off as mean.