The Olympics are Coming and I Don't Really Care

I remember in 1980 when Al Michaels uttered the phrase "Do you believe in Miracles?". It was the moment when the U.S. Men's Hockey Team beat the Soviet Union to gain a place in the finals. It was one of those moments that stay with you. A bunch of college kids beat the legendary Soviet Union team on their way to the Gold Medal. That was 28+ years ago and for me, the Olympics have changed drastically.

Our Olympians used to be all amateurs, then somewhere along the way, the Professionals became eligible. Since we always felt that the East German and the Soviet Union athletes were professionals anyway, this seemed to level the playing field.

But as the stakes grew higher, the games, in my opinion, lost some luster. In 1998, NHL players took a break from their season so that they could participate in the Winter Games. The USA team only won 1 game and trashed a hotel room. Nice!

Over the years, athletes failed drug tests, US teams like the 2004 men's basketball team, only took the Bronze Medal in Athens. It seems that nothing short of Gold was expected. And the Olympics have become more and more about money and less about sport. I won't even get into the politics of the games with China being the host country this time around.

I remember as a kid getting excited about sports that I never even knew existed and rooting for the USA, USA, USA. I still want the USA to win, but I imagine that my viewing will come by accident instead of desire.