Is anyone like me and staying up way too late watching the Olympics? For some reason, men's gymnastics and the individual swimming medley hold a sway over me. I can't turn the television off as I am completely drawn to the obscure sports and stories of greatness.
Although I distantly remember the Olympics of my childhood where we would gather around the TV on hot summer evenings, my true love affair with the Olympics began in 1992 with the Barcelona games. I even had the soundtrack to the games and I would sing along loudly with the guy from Queen and the Spanish opera stars. As a melodramatic teenager that year, I totally ate up the stories of the ex-Russian gymnasts who were competing under new flags...in an uncertain world...against unbeatable odds. The television coverage that year particularly lent itself to underdog stories and vignettes. I swear just about every athlete had lost a parent in a freak accident. It made the wins and losses so much more poignant.
I kind of checked out for the Atlanta Olympics...I had just graduated from high school was ready to head to college and had way more important things to do than sit at home and watch the Olympics. I started finding my way back for the Athens games, but with these Beijing games, I feel like I'm home.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
1 comment:
I've never been a big Olympics watcher, but I am watching a lot more of this year's. It may be because I'm on vacation, and it's so easy to leave the TV on while we cook and whatnot for idle conversation.
Post a Comment