Why I Love the Olympics

I love the Olympics.  I love that they still exist in a world that seems to be full of commercialism, intolerance and apathy.  And yeah, you can argue that it’s not immune to those issues; we can talk about corporate sponsorships and Russia’s anti-gay policies.  But the fact remains that when that Olympic flame is lit, it means something.  It means something in every country in the world.  For two weeks we all have the same goals.  We all play by the same rules.  We all celebrate the same values—sacrifice, discipline, sportsmanship, a commitment to excellence.  We all recognize the power of achieving your dreams.

The celebration of that unique Olympic spirit is somehow able to consistently transcend the fact that we’re in competition…

Like when Jeremy Abbot fell hard during his figure skating routine and the crowd cheered until he got up.  Not because they were fans of Team USA, but because they know what it took for him to even get to that moment.  Because they didn’t come just to see their countrymen win but to see people who have given everything to master their craft.

Or when these men in a Russian bar responded to their loss to the US like real men do.  By shaking the hands of the only two Americans in the place: http://articles.latimes.com/2014/feb/15/sports/la-sp-sochi-mens-hockey-plaschke-20140216

Or when the figure skating gala brought the skaters from every country out onto the ice together.  No competing, no worrying about points.  When can you ever see all of the best in the world just hanging out together doing what they love?

 The fact that we can come together in this celebration, that we can all appreciate the pursuit of a dream, that we’ve assigned a collective meaning to these games that exists worldwide—all of that gives me hope.  And we all know the world can always use a little more hope.  That is why I love the Olympics.

Also, curling pants…