The Olympics Are Here

The opening ceremony of the Olympics is here, but do people care about them?

NBC, ESPN, the newspaper have been doing count downs to the start. Well they are hear and the questions is who is going to be watching?

I will probably watch some USA Basketball and see how Dwayne Wade performs in anticipation of the upcoming Heat season. (I'll watch the Australian women's basketball team for a different reason - tall, athletic blonds - how can I pass on that?) I will try to watch cycling but its mostly on the internet at 3am in the morning...

It is just not the same as when I was young(er). The Olympics used to be a special event that drew the attention to amateur athletes competing in events that were unique or unusual. Now it seems to be dominated by more common sports - basketball, soccer, hockey (yes, I know that is a winter sport). Even golf and tennis are Olympic sports now (and I still don't watch them). On top of that it is also dominated by high paid professional athletes (even in track and field).

We have lost interest in the events like the decathlon where an individual completes in 10 individual events to prove he is great in all of them (like Bruce Jenner did). I used to remember watching events like fencing, Greco-Roman wrestling, boxing, and weight lifting when I was young. Today they get almost no exposure.

I do not think this is a China thing (political) or a time zone issue. The Olympics are just not what they used to be. I watched the movie "Chariots of Fire" again the other day. I think that captures what the modern Olympics were intended to be. I just don't feel that spirit today.

I may sound down on the Olympics but I do want to see the US athletes (and the Australian women's basketball team) do well and make us proud!