And the gold medal goes to...

I just love the Olympics, don't you? There's something about seeing the world come together. I love host Bob Costas (who I affectionately call "Bobby"). I love the Olympic theme music. And, I especially love when they do the back stories--the athletes that overcome all kinds of adversity for a chance to compete for an Olympic medal. This year I even loved the pre-Olympics commercials--Morgan Freeman's voice-overs on the Visa commercials brought tears to my eyes almost every time!

I love that the Olympics are something that families can sit down and watch together (how many prime-time TV shows can you say that about these days?!). I love that half the battle is in showing up and doing your best--that only three medals in each event are awarded, but a lot more athletes attend and have their momentary glimpse of the spotlight. I love that totally crazy sports that I've never heard of suddenly have me glued to the TV. I love that countries we never hear about can celebrate their national heros on the world stage. I love the anticipation that things can change in an instant (and cringe when the skaters fall or the skiers bite the dust). Of course I have my favorite events, but really I enjoy it all--the commentary, the music, the clothes. And, especially at a time when some things in life aren't much fun, I love having the opportunity to celebrate something greater than myself. And though many of the events include an element of danger, I would guess that most athletes love what they do, don't get paid big bucks, and feel the risk is worth the reward.

Certainly there are some drawbacks to the Olympics. The host city/country often goes into debt in order to host. All the new buildings/facilities in the host city don't really contribute to "green" living. The Olympics can also be expensive for the teams trying to attend (think Stephen Colbert's fundraising ploy for the US Speedskating team or other countries that don't have the wealth of the US to draw upon). And sometimes I wonder if it's more about the money (ie, who can afford the most experienced trainers and coaches and training time) and less about the natural talent.

But, all those concerns aside, I still love the Olympics. I fondly remember Kristi Yamaguchi winning her gold (1992), Nancy Kerrigan winning her silver (1994), and Michelle Kwan winning her silver (1998) and bronze (2002). Really, in their own random, unique way, the Olympics create ongoing consistency in my life and notate the passing of time.

Go world.

(2.18.10 update: Big thanks to my dad who noticed a typo in the first paragraph above--adversary and adversity--though similar in spelling, do not have similar meanings!)