inspiration lights the fire within

So I lied in my last post about not being able to watch the Olympics. It wasn’t a total lie; I really wasn’t interested. Then came the Men’s 4×100 Freestyle Relay with Jason Lezak’s clutch finish to snatch the gold. There’s just something so inexplicably attractive about the indomitable human spirit. It’s absolutely infectious. That being said, I hate how China treats its athletes, putting so much pressure on them in their quest for approval from the world, and in the end, doesn’t seem like the athletes get much recognition for winning (because they were supposed to), yet should they fall.. (think about what would happen if Liu Xiang the hurdler failed). Amidst all the pressure and expectations, is the passion still there?

For The Love Of Sport

Sports are supposed to be something that bring people together. That’s what the Olympics movement is about. And yet, looking at this year’s Games in Beijing, is that really true anymore?

Let’s ignore the current conflict in Georgia as something no one had foreseen. Was it right to award China the Olympics in spite of its human rights violations? And having committed to the Beijing Olympics, was it right to protest the torch relay?

Let’s talk about China’s role in the whole thing. There’s no doubt that their athletic prowess has increased significantly, nor that their booming economic rise will soon catapult them past the American juggernaut. But to me, China’s actions make it seem like a little kid desperately seeking its parents’ approval, “Mommy, daddy, look at me, I’m all grown up now!” Everything has to be just perfect; and they’ll make sure to hammer in just how good they are, and ignore/overlook/censor any mistakes. For example, I find this hilarious: the magazine Xinhua wrote an article about the amount of praise US media lavished upon their opening ceremony, and makes sure to point out how the Chinese audience was warm and polite to every delegation.

Does it even matter? Shouldn’t we just sit back and enjoy, cheering on our favorite athletes? Maybe. Probably. But I can’t seem to bring myself to watch the Olympics this year, and I’ve been trying to figure out why.