Olympics

I have nothing against Norway or the Netherlands.  Not a thing.

But it's fascinating to me that we watch the Olympics for two reasons, and rarely acknowledge it.

Reason #1 - The Love of Sports
I'm going to put myself mostly in this camp, except for a specific sport or two.  This is where you like to see people reach and succeed. The colours they wear aren't as important as watching extraordinary performances.  Obviously in this context, that happens in almost every competition.  You're cheering for the underdog perhaps, but really to see them excel and fly in whatever they've taken on.   Media we use doesn't always support this way of doing things, instead opting to show us reason #2, even if it's lack-luster.    Interesting, some of the most captivating Olympic moments falls into our love of sport - and "happy gilmore" giving his spot up on the speed skating oval so his teammate who he acknowledged was better than he... is a brilliant example.   Selflessness + incredible performances make for great Olympic sporting moments.

Reason #2 - National Pride
This is where we cheer the home team, no matter what. We begrudge being beaten in any context, regardless of the actual performances of our athletes.  When we hear of unfair judging, or questionable referees, this is reason #2 in action.  Who's to say ours/your athletes are the best - sure it's nice when it works out that way, but if every competitor that beats our flag bearer was "cheating", well, then it strikes me you've lost the plot.  The Olympics is absolutely a competitive venue, but it's not where we work out (or create) global tensions.  I don't happen to like this approach at all, and it's typified when the national TV networks seem to take joy at an individual athlete's missed attempts.  There's been some of that from the UK broadcasters this Olympics, and it's poor sportsmanship, and a sign of weak character by the individual.

There are not hard boundaries here, and it's challenging when the sport closest to your own heart is being played, sure.  But celebrate the fact we can compete and drive to win and not kills each other in the process.  It's about the performance, whether the outfit is red, orange, blue or white.