So the Olympics have started again and up until last week I wasn’t sure if I was going to be watching them this year since they were being hosted in china. However once we watched the opening ceremony on friday night I remembered how much I love watching the Olympics.
First off, the opening ceremony was absolutely fantastic and a really good time. Although the parade of nations takes forever to go through it is one of the best parts because its a chance to hear about a lot of the countries and their athletes that you won’t see again since they are in sports that won’t make prime time and/or their athletes aren’t likely to make it to the finals. Also there is generally some good story about the flag bearer for each of the countries since they have generally done something noteworthy or their background makes for a great story. The way they lit the Olympic flame was one of the best ever I think. It was awesome watching the guy slowly run around the rim of the stadium. Also the performances showcasing different aspects of china and its culture were really well done and defintly demonstrates their people power.
Over the weekend we kinda just left the games on when ever I could. It’s interesting that way because you’ll end up seeing sports and results that you normally don’t see or hear about. You also learn more about the host country since its during those times that they’ll often run a short piece explaining a particular location or time.
Really when it comes down to it I love watching the olympics because I think it demonstrates that there is still hope in/for the world. All these countries that have internal problems or problems with other are able to rise above those things and compete with one another in friendly athletic competition. You also get to share with these athletes as some of them get to make their dreams come true.
There was one discordant note from this weekend’s olympic coverage that made me angry. That was the running of a couple of presidential political commercials. I was annoyed because I really think that the olympic’s aren’t the place for them especially since the Olympics emphasize unity. It wasn’t just one candidate but both of them ran commercials during the Olympics and really I wanted both of them to go away.
