And now...my first (and possibly last) blog on the Olympic Games.
Are they back?
I don't know about you, dear reader, but I had my fill of the Olympics by No. 5 (for me) in Barcelona in 1992. Atlanta in '96 was putrid (I don't care what anyone says, the cauldron for the Olympic flame still looks like an empty fries container from a far-too-well-known fast food chain), Sydney was acceptable because of Cathy Freeman, and I honestly don't think I watched a minute of Athens in 2004.
So what went wrong with the old Citius Altius Fortius shindig?
Well, for one thing, it's too darn big. There are too many sports for which the Olympics is not the biggest honour (basketball, football and tennis to name just three), and they are just bloating the whole event.
And while it seems great that the best professionals in these sports are at the Olympics, I'm pretty certain that the players' clubs, who actually pay their wages, are not best pleased. FC Barcelona went to court to try to prevent their best player, Lionel Messi, from taking part in Beijing. And while they haven't said much in public, I don't think the Cleveland Cavaliers or Liverpool FC manager Rafa Benitez would be best pleased if LeBron James or Javier Mascherano tore an ACL or something.
If the Olympics really want me back (and with an estimated worldwide television audience in excess of three billion, I'm guessing they can live without me), they need to heed the advice of the late, great Waylon Jennings and "get back to the basics of [life]".
Off with tennis, football and pro basketball. Keep the Olympics for the gymnasts, the swimmers, the athletes and the canoeists. To the latter group, the Olympics is the be-all and end-all of their careers.
Having said that, I watched about 10 minutes of the Opening Ceremony while having dinner. The athletes were entering the stadium, country-by-country, in a seemingly random order. The BBC and CNN both state that the order is according to how many strokes it takes to write the country's name in Chinese script, but it baffles me how you can write Trinidad and Tobago in fewer strokes than Estonia in any language. China always has been a bit of a mystery, hasn't it?
Are they back?
I don't know about you, dear reader, but I had my fill of the Olympics by No. 5 (for me) in Barcelona in 1992. Atlanta in '96 was putrid (I don't care what anyone says, the cauldron for the Olympic flame still looks like an empty fries container from a far-too-well-known fast food chain), Sydney was acceptable because of Cathy Freeman, and I honestly don't think I watched a minute of Athens in 2004.
So what went wrong with the old Citius Altius Fortius shindig?
Well, for one thing, it's too darn big. There are too many sports for which the Olympics is not the biggest honour (basketball, football and tennis to name just three), and they are just bloating the whole event.
And while it seems great that the best professionals in these sports are at the Olympics, I'm pretty certain that the players' clubs, who actually pay their wages, are not best pleased. FC Barcelona went to court to try to prevent their best player, Lionel Messi, from taking part in Beijing. And while they haven't said much in public, I don't think the Cleveland Cavaliers or Liverpool FC manager Rafa Benitez would be best pleased if LeBron James or Javier Mascherano tore an ACL or something.
If the Olympics really want me back (and with an estimated worldwide television audience in excess of three billion, I'm guessing they can live without me), they need to heed the advice of the late, great Waylon Jennings and "get back to the basics of [life]".
Off with tennis, football and pro basketball. Keep the Olympics for the gymnasts, the swimmers, the athletes and the canoeists. To the latter group, the Olympics is the be-all and end-all of their careers.
Having said that, I watched about 10 minutes of the Opening Ceremony while having dinner. The athletes were entering the stadium, country-by-country, in a seemingly random order. The BBC and CNN both state that the order is according to how many strokes it takes to write the country's name in Chinese script, but it baffles me how you can write Trinidad and Tobago in fewer strokes than Estonia in any language. China always has been a bit of a mystery, hasn't it?
2 Comments:
I hope you get 8 comments on your 08.08.08 8:00 blog.
So, beneath all drama and scandals, I actually enjoy the Olympics. I admit, I cry a little each time I watch an award ceremony. Oh, and if it's the United States winning the gold, you better believe I'm crying. I can't even think about the Star Spangled Banner lyrics without crying.
{fans eyes} excuse me, something just got in my eye...
You are so lucky you were nice about the Sydney Olympics.
I thought the Olympics was all about excellence in amateur athletes and that professionals couldn't compete. Wouldn't someone who was say employed as a player of one of those sports then be considered a professional in that field and not be eligible to compete? Did I get that wrong?
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