Why I Stopped Caring About The Olympics

 

During my youth and early adulthood, my family members and I would gather around the moderately sized television in the kitchen and eagerly await the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games. It was always exciting to watch the amateur athletes in the parade of nations enter a stadium or arena, proudly representing their nations. 

Even though we knew the Soviet block countries, China and East Germany cheated, there were still moments of beauty, an exceptional talent coming out of nowhere, the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat, I felt part of a world that rewarded the best. 

Politics has always been part of the Olympics. But the monetization, the boycotts, the participation by professional athletes, the dark side of children being mistreated for American glory, the sexual abuse, the doping, the NCAA oligarchy, trans women competing in women’s sports, and the continued focus on medal count has ruined what used to be represented as the Olympic Spirit for me.

I think the last glorious moment for me was the Miracle On Ice in 1980 when the amateur American Hockey team prevailed over the Soviets. Now, team sports are comprised of NBA and NHL stars. So not interesting or fun! If I want to watch professional tennis, I’ll tune into Wimbledon. 

It was also a huge mistake to shift the winter games and summer games into alternating cycles with an Olympics every other year! Too much! 

Yep, it is all about money, cronyism, back room deals, overlooking rules, making exceptions or excuses, pandering instead of standing up for even a modicum of an ideal. It is now just another circus.