Olympic confusion

I just discovered that the Olympics are on. Let me clarify that: The fact that the Olympics are on has just made a difference in my life.

I haven't been keeping up with the lastest from Torino. This is partly due to the fact that I don't have my TV on much of the time, and partly due to the fact that I simply am not crazy for the Games.

For the past few years, the Olympics haven't been sitting well with me. There's just something about them that bothers me. I'm not sure that I can explain, but it has to do with the general population claiming victory or loss for individual achievement.

I hear commentators talking about how a 4th place finish is a let down to Canada and that "we" should have placed in such-and-such a sport today. Who is this "we"? How is the failure of an athlete who worked for years (granted, with some financial support from "us") disgracing the country? Is that athlete trying to win a medal so he can show how great Canada is? Isn't it more likely that he's doing it for himself?

I don't understand why is it that no one (and by no one I mean the general population) cares at all about obscure sports like skeleton and speed skating until an event like this and then all of a sudden claim victory thr0ugh them. OK, what I actually don't understand is why this is considered normal. I know there are fairweather friends in all areas of sporting, (I will watch the NHL playoffs, for example, but not the regular season play) but can they really speak of victories or losses in the first person? I say no.

I don't really mind the international competition aspect of the Games - you know, the idea that countries are competing against each other in order to show their "supremacy". You'll notice that I never rant about the World Cup or World Hockey Championships - probably because such competitions involve only one sport and it's more likely that the folks who stop everything to watch are people who follow that single, well-televised sport year-round.

Don't get me wrong: I like the idea that the Olympics are televised so people can watch their friends, family or even acquaintances compete. I even like that fans of a particular sport can watch how the international competition is progressing. My problem comes when somehow, magically, I am in 5th place in terms of number of medals or I have had a disappointing day on the slopes. I'm not even competing!

Having said that, I did enjoy watching the glimpses into the women's figure skating competition that were shown on CBC this afternoon and I checked the score of the hockey game each time I walked past the library at work where the Olympic coverage is being broadcasted all day long. See? I'm not a complete humbug.


As an aside: Today's post on Darren's blog gives a whole new meaning to urine tasting...I mean...testing.