I write this column at the risk of sounding unpatriotic and unsportsmanlike. But, if I can be honest for a moment, the Winter Olympics are kind of boring.
Well, at least some of the Winter Olympics are kind of boring. I apologize to any skiers who might be reading this, but I’m sorry to have to be the one to break it to you: your sport is incredibly boring to watch. After a while, everything becomes a blur. All the ski runs start to form one long trip down a mountain.
Worst yet is cross-country skiing. Whoever thought it would be fun to watch people ski through mostly flat terrain for over an hour is a complete dolt.
There are some games throughout this winter that I think are fun to watch. Hockey is always a rousing sport….unless your team gets whooped by Canada and then shut out by Finland.
I actually really enjoy and appreciate the artistry of figure skating. Just by looking at it you know it’s a physically tasking sport and it blends with art so well that it’s one of the few sports that I would dare say is beautiful to watch.
But, figure skating judging is so subjective it makes it hard to follow how some skaters could do worse or better than others.
Maybe I’m just fatigued by this year’s Olympics. They’ve been going on for what seems like ages.
Add to that, most regular programming has been altered so as to not compete with the games so now there is no escaping it.
I don’t know about myself sometimes. Most people seem to have enjoyed the games and were excited. Maybe I’m just being a stick in the mud.
Or maybe I just really want new episodes of Parks and Recreation and Modern Family. I don’t think that’s too much to ask for.
Well, at least now the games are over. I never have to see that stupid McDonald’s ad again. You know the one. Where the athlete’s bite into their gold medals as McDonalds customers bit into chicken nuggets? Yeah…I hate that ad.
Everything about this year’s Olympics just seemed anticlimactic to me.
There was no real drama this year that grabbed my attention.
I think the Olympics are sort of their own worst enemy.
All advertisements for the Olympics, no matter if they are in the summer or winter, build themselves up to be the most exciting thing in sports.
But they can never sustain the drama over the period of the games. Not every sport is engaging and not all the names are recognizable.
I don’t know. I seem to be the only person with this problem. I just wish that hype wouldn’t outweigh the outcome of certain events.
With the games now over, it may be moot to talk about it.
But, I’d rather reflect in hindsight on what I’ve learned than make a rash judgment during the games.
That being said, I don’t know if I’ll get myself as excited next time around.
I’ll just have to remind myself to re-read this article that I’ve written and remind myself of my own perspective.
Brian Laughran
Senior Viewpoints Editor