Go for gold: An Olympic ideal

While thinking of what to say concerning the Winter Olympics, nothing really came to mind. It hasn’t been an area of focus in my life. The spectacle that is the Olympics is just not as interesting to me as it once was. I see the waste of billions of dollars in an event that, after it’s all over, won’t change anything. No country becomes more dominant because of its performance in the Olympics.

I see the Olympics as a distraction to what is going on in the world. Because the Olympics is the biggest story in the world right now, taking precedent over anything else, I would be happy if I was a world leader. If I were president, I would see this as a break from the scrutiny and opinion aimed at my ability to lead. The problems that face the world are still there, even if we put off thinking about them for two weeks. One of the things I have noticed about the Olympics is the notion that the United States needs to get gold in everything or else it’s a bust. That expectation has probably always been there, I just have been too naive to notice it before. As of now, it seems that if our Olympians don’t get the gold in an event we think of them as disappointing failures.

Shani Davis, Shaun White and Bode Miller were all slated for gold. None of them made the cut, actually none of them even medaled. Because of the hype that was created, it was upsetting that our guys didn’t win. I felt like my 3-year-old niece that pitches a fit when she doesn’t win, and it bothered me. That’s when I grew up and realized how dumb it is to believe in all of the hype.

No wonder the rest of the world thinks that America is arrogant. For the most part, we expect first-place finishes from our athletes. Another false interpretation of the American athlete is that most are paid professionals who make millions of dollars in an “amateur” setting. Not all American athletes are millionaires; some have needed sponsors to foot the bill for them to go to Mother Russia to compete. Oddly enough, it’s the athletes from the humble backgrounds that tend to have the most success.

Maybe I am just being a baby and should enjoy it while it lasts (it’s the Olympics for crying out loud!), or maybe I’ve just matured a enough to see that the Olympics isn’t as awesome as I thought before. Either way, Sochi was a poor choice for the games. I don’t have the interest for it, and neither did many people I have spoken to.