I just hope both teams have fun

Every two years, my family and I watch a lot of Olympic coverage on TV. My partner is a big fan of the games. I wouldn’t know when they were happening if it wasn’t for him because I don’t typically follow any sports news. Over the years, it became a tradition in our family to bake a giant sugar cookie, cover it with whipped cream, and decorate with red and blue berries arranged like the American flag. We’d cut off huge chunks and eat them as we watched the opening ceremony. We skipped it this year. I wasn’t feeling up to it.   

It’s a nice break in the evening to sit together and watch athletes, some just a few years older than my own kids, compete at a global scale. I love the small touches each country adds to make their mark on the games. They repurpose existing structures, and build new ones housing enormous swimming pools, or basketball courts seemingly overnight, and the city’s tattoo artists brush up on their perfect circles. Everyone in town comes together to accommodate the arrival of the entire world. Or at least a representation of it.

It is fun to be an American during the Olympics. It’s such a valued endeavor in our culture, we have a horse in every race. The US athletes are often remarkable people outside of competition as well. I would love to learn more about the athletes from other countries and their path to the games during the broadcast. It’s nice to be reminded that it’s a worldwide competition. There was a beautiful moment of sportsmanship when a female runner won the first ever medal for her country (gold to boot!) and every other competitor there celebrated the achievement right along with her. There is a lot of warm-hearted sportsmanship displayed during the games. Maybe there is something to the runner’s high. Should I start running again? No. At least, not in this heat.  

Part of me is endlessly interested in anything new, so the variety of sports is a real draw. We’ve raised three very curious children so often an unfamiliar event like archery becomes a kind of family investigation of the rules and objectives. We dissect the equipment used, the markings on the target, and the individual preferences of each archer. Often, we wish the announcers would spend more time explaining the basics of the event to the lay people at home. I’ve watched a lot of fencing and I’m still very “okay I’ll take your word for it” on point scoring. Even with all the complicated sensors, I’m still not sure what I’m seeing. I could use an assist there from the announcers. In fact, the announcers are my biggest complaint about the games. I know I’m irritating everybody in the room with me, but I can’t help commentating on their commentating. I notice it most often in gymnastics. Right before the young athlete launches herself into the air, the announcer will let us in on the fact that she faltered in practice earlier. Sometimes mid-run. What? Why would you say that? Now, instead of marveling at the incredible athletic feat, I feel grateful she landed without breaking any bones. The woman will propel herself from a flat run to twice her own height and we see that as the minimum she needed to do. As not to be a problem identifier, I thought through some alternative talking points to fill the airtime.¹ They could instead talk about the time and energy that the athletes spend preparing their minds and bodies for this level of competition. What is an Olympic training schedule like on an average day? I’m sure many of them are also in school. They have families and friends who they make time for. They are a real person living a life AND competing in the Olympic games. How does that vary by country? What is different? What is the same? I’m as patriotic as the next guy, but that is what we love about the Olympics.  

But none of this is mentioned when the gymnast is on the floor. Instead the announcer says something like:

 The next skill is incredibly difficult and requires enormous strength and concentration in order to stick the landing. She fell in practice.

I don’t know, it just really bugs me. I’m going through a lot, personally.

Hands down, the biggest improvement to Olympic game coverage is the addition of Snoop Dogg. I could not respect and admire this man more. He became one of the most well known rappers. He’s danced on stage at the Superbowl halftime show. He’s besties with Martha Stewart. Obviously, we both share an affinity for nature’s finest plant, but aside from all that, in all the time that I’ve been familiar with Snoop Dogg, he has been exactly who he is. Ask him to break down the basics of synchronized swimming! I would listen for hours. You know why? He got to see the Mona Lisa hanging in the otherwise empty Louvre and he cracked a joke about her brother Tony Lisa and how her smile changed when he stood on her right side. The man is having fun! The D.O. Double G. takes advantage of every opportunity given to him, but he shows up as himself. And the Olympic game coverage (in my country, at least) is better for it.

---

¹ Although, nowhere does it say we have to fill time with incessant chatter about what we are seeing. We could simply listen to the sounds of the arena between bouts. Or a what, when, where, why, and how description like the good old days.

---

PS. I’ve accomplished a great feat of my own, recently. I went to the dentist. I won’t bore you with the details, but I have avoided this form of self-care for way longer than I should have. This week, I took a deep breath and laid back in the chair. When my hygienist asked if there were any areas I wanted her to focus on during my visit today, I answered “the teeth area” and she laughed out loud. I was honestly surprised she hadn’t heard it before. She even laughed again a few seconds later remembering it, which is the best kind of laugh you can get.