Summer versus Winter Olympics: Which Olympics are more interesting?

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Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

The Olympics are steadily approaching and it begs the question: Which Olympics is more interesting to watch? Something thing to look at when comparing the two Olympic games is the events one will get to see during the specific games.

The Summer Olympics features most of the Olympic sports that we usually think of, such as basketball, baseball, soccer, track and field, swimming and volleyball. These are sports that we usually see on a pretty solid basis and it makes the Summer Olympics very engaging to watch.

However, the Winter Olympics provides us with a lot of sports that we don’t usually see. Aside from hockey, we see bobsledding, skiing and figure skating to name a few. These sports are not ones that we usually see, because of this, it gives the Winter Olympics a very engaging feel.

The statistics show that the Summer and Winter Olympics are actually getting closer to being even in viewership. In 2002 the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics averaged 2.1 billion viewers. The Summer Olympics in Athens in 2004 averaged 3.9 billion viewers. But the two most recent Olympics show that the field of viewership is evening out. The 2012 Summer Olympics in London averaged 3.6 billion viewers, while the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia averaged 3.5 billion viewers.

The Winter Olympics have always been very intriguing to watch. The sheer amount of talent and the danger of bobsledding has always grabbed my attention. Watching the Summer Olympics is exciting, but the Winter Olympics have always been must-watch TV for me. Watching the U.S. defeat Canada for a gold medal in hockey was one of my favorite memories from watching the Winter Olympics—not to mention being able to brag to my friends from Canada.

Figure skating is not something that I would normally watch, but the quality and beauty that can be showcased in the Winter Olympics makes it all worthwhile. I enjoy watching the Olympics, but the winter games have a special place in my heart.

Overall, the gap of viewership is growing smaller and the world is becoming more engaged in the Winter Olympics. No matter which Olympics is more intriguing, the world is coming together to watch and support their countries. It’s a special time when the Olympics come around, and we have our national teams to cheer on.