The long anticipated 2012 London Olympics has arrived. While I am proud to be an American, I am disappointed in the media hype over the importance of records and numbers of medals. While it’s great for the bank account to have bragging rights of the Wheaties Box, does it really matter in the big picture? Sure financial security is great but it has a way of leading some into the land of the obnoxious as well as trouble.
Let’s rewind to the year 2009 and a party at the University of South Carolina. The headlines which followed — Record Swimmer Caught with Marijuana Pipe. Shock and disappointment for his parents, teammates and fans as well as the US Olympic Committee. Fast-forward to 2012 two weeks before the Olympics and Hope Solo’s positive drug test followed by interviews fessing to drunken and behavior R-rated by herself and others four years ago.
Yesterday, the anticipated Phelps-Lochte 400-meter showdown turned into Michael Phelps watching the awards from the bleachers. Today Hope Solo was summoned to a meeting with Soccer Coach Sundhage about her derogatory Tweets on post-game coverage of the Colombia game. This is only day 2 of the competition.
Back in the 80s I visited Sagres, Portugal. It was an area of simple means. Residents looked at Americans as flashy and bold. I wonder what they think now when reading about Olympic behaviors.
'lotta sports 
#1 by wyatt on July 29, 2012 - 5:29 pm
You tell them Carlotta. Sports use to be a get away from the craziness of every day life. The olympics happened every four years and was viewed, at least by some, as a light, a hope that we can work all things out for the benefit of all. Now it is every two years, mostly for the money, and as you have written, reminds us of what a mess things are instead of what they could be. It must be hard having to now report on sports relating them to the mess rather than the escape and hope they once were. Some of these people should be ashamed. We must remember the escape we had and seek to return it to what it once was. And enjoy, if only for a little while, the times when our teams or athletes win.
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#2 by 'lottasports on July 29, 2012 - 5:42 pm
Thank you… 🙂
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#3 by JP on July 29, 2012 - 6:05 pm
You gotta score the “games” some way. Unfortunately….every large country uses this metric though it is highly illogical.
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