"The Olympic Torch, symbol of peace, is currently at an undisclosed location."
The biggest news coming out of Beijing this summer will be the protests, the Tibetian situation, the smog, and China's growing economy. These are all important issues for consideration for sure, but what about the Games? What about the atheletes?
Do kids dream about the Olympics anymore?
Most of you know what I'll say next, but since... well... you know... since... I don't even have to say it... the Games have gone downhill.
The rest of the 80s were shadowed by the Lake Placid games, with a few interesting moments but none of that magic that they had when I was a kid.
I'm not sure when it all began to go south, probably with the 1984 summer games in LA, which were the first to make a profit in over 50 years. I recall that ugly star plastered on everything, most notably the blue/green foam container that held my McDonalds Filet-o-Fish. What a sell out.
The Olympics used to be a destination for an an athlete. A dream come true.
Now it's an inconvenience.
Athletes bitch about travel plans not being made for them by their country's Olympic Committee, security, overzealous fans.
Now I think kids today have adopted this attitude. The atheletes don't care about the games, why should they?
Maybe I'm being nostalgic about the good old days, but too bad, it's my blog.
On a related note, I'd sacrifice 1 year off the end of my life and pay to $20,000 if I could go back in time to 2.22.80 and secure a ticket to this game. Maybe two years.
2 comments:
I agree. 84 was inspiring as watching Alexi Grewal outsprint Steve Bauer on day one Olympic competition was the catalyst of my cycling future. Soul? Barely recall 88 or games since.
Frank Shorter, Eric Heiden, Bruce Jenner, The Hockey Team! Dorothy Hamil, Carpenter, Grewal, USA "Amateur" Basketball. Mary Lou Retton, Bill Johnson, Dan Jansen, etc,... I can remember each of their faces,...
The olympic spirit lives on in the athletes. Don't let something silly like politics ruin that.
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