There was some pretty cool stuff at the Summer Olympics this year. I'm still in shock over Jamaica's phenomenal 4 x 100m relay, which Usain Bolt and the rest of the Jamaican squad ran in just a little over 36 SECONDS. That's FOUR 100m runs just over 9 seconds each, with time made for passing the baton three times in there as well. Each of those runs individually was a potential gold medal sprint, and the four of them together just took my breath away.
I loved that Rhythmic Gymnastics got so much air time, even if it was only during the day as opposed to airing in prime time. I think that rhythmic gymnastics is one of the most beautiful and lyrical sports, bordering on modern dance as it does with the incorporation of the hoop, ball and ribbon apparatuses. Even though the USA is NEVER a contender, NBC managed to get several hours of rhythmic gymnastics to my television, which just made my day. It was refreshing to see the coverage be a little more cosmopolitan for once, and a little less chauvinistic and jingoistic.
Did I have problems with the coverage? You bet. Failing to show the homage to the 7/7 terror victims in the Opening Ceremonies and replacing it with Ryan Seacrest's vapid interview with Michael Phelps was egregious. There was too much volleyball and too much Michael Phelps. No disrespect; they are all great athletes who brought home a lot of medals to the USA. But I would have loved to see more track and field events, and a lot less fluff. Did you know that the USA won both the gold AND silver medals in the Decathlon this year? Neither did I until I looked it up on Wikipedia. When I was a kid, the Decathlon was a huge deal, culminating with Bruce Jenner on the Wheaties cereal box. Today I don't think most Olympics viewers even recognize the name of Ashton Eaton, the gold medal winner. I only spotted a few minutes of things like the pole vault and the discus and the hammer throw; I suspect because these are things at which the USA does not excel.
And the entire world needs to get over treating silver medalists like losers. Gold medalists are of course the heroes of the moment, and bronze winners are plucky underdogs who are just thrilled to be on the podium. Silver medalists, however, seem to bear some sort of stigma, like a bad smell. It's not right. To win a silver medal in anything at the Olympic Games is a high honor, and it's about time that we started treating it as such.
So thanks, Britain, for giving us a brief distraction from our political and economic woes. The UK did a fantastic job on the Olympics. Kudos to the Queen for her superb sportsmanship and willingness to inject a little fun into the opening ceremonies, with her "parachuting" into the stadium to open the games, assisted by none other than James Bond, Agent 007 himself. It's a memory I will treasure.
I loved that Rhythmic Gymnastics got so much air time, even if it was only during the day as opposed to airing in prime time. I think that rhythmic gymnastics is one of the most beautiful and lyrical sports, bordering on modern dance as it does with the incorporation of the hoop, ball and ribbon apparatuses. Even though the USA is NEVER a contender, NBC managed to get several hours of rhythmic gymnastics to my television, which just made my day. It was refreshing to see the coverage be a little more cosmopolitan for once, and a little less chauvinistic and jingoistic.
Did I have problems with the coverage? You bet. Failing to show the homage to the 7/7 terror victims in the Opening Ceremonies and replacing it with Ryan Seacrest's vapid interview with Michael Phelps was egregious. There was too much volleyball and too much Michael Phelps. No disrespect; they are all great athletes who brought home a lot of medals to the USA. But I would have loved to see more track and field events, and a lot less fluff. Did you know that the USA won both the gold AND silver medals in the Decathlon this year? Neither did I until I looked it up on Wikipedia. When I was a kid, the Decathlon was a huge deal, culminating with Bruce Jenner on the Wheaties cereal box. Today I don't think most Olympics viewers even recognize the name of Ashton Eaton, the gold medal winner. I only spotted a few minutes of things like the pole vault and the discus and the hammer throw; I suspect because these are things at which the USA does not excel.
And the entire world needs to get over treating silver medalists like losers. Gold medalists are of course the heroes of the moment, and bronze winners are plucky underdogs who are just thrilled to be on the podium. Silver medalists, however, seem to bear some sort of stigma, like a bad smell. It's not right. To win a silver medal in anything at the Olympic Games is a high honor, and it's about time that we started treating it as such.
So thanks, Britain, for giving us a brief distraction from our political and economic woes. The UK did a fantastic job on the Olympics. Kudos to the Queen for her superb sportsmanship and willingness to inject a little fun into the opening ceremonies, with her "parachuting" into the stadium to open the games, assisted by none other than James Bond, Agent 007 himself. It's a memory I will treasure.
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