Our culture seems to be attached to a great many worthless things, and the Olympics are no exception. Why do I think they are worthless? Hmm, let’s see…I can think of 5 good reasons:
#1 – For starters, they are a ridiculous waste of resources. The Olympics cost billions of dollars to organize and host, an incredible waste of money that could be much better spent elsewhere. Where does that money come from? Partly ticket sales, but mostly tax payers. Even worse, some countries that host the Olympics really can’t afford to do so, and the after effects on that country can be negative.
#2 – The Olympics are completely irrelevant for our day and age. Aside from the fact that they are a holdover from the Pagan beliefs of ancient Greece, they were also originally intended for an entirely different purpose. In ancient days, the Olympics served two main purposes: one, to bring city-states together to worship, and two, to show off the best warriors (and thereby discourage other city-states from making trouble).
#3 – The Olympics are overly commercialized. With Olympians and their equipment adorned with so many endorsements that they look like bulletin boards, and with the airwaves crammed full of advertisements, the Olympics have become just another outlet for commercialism.
#4 – The Olympics are not about camaraderie, and most certainly don’t build positive foreign relationships. Ultra-competitive sports engender anger, animosity and rivalry between countries, teams and individuals. Sure, they may behave themselves at the games (sometimes), but they spend the rest of the intervening time bashing every team but theirs 🙂 It also puts immense pressure on the athletes, sometimes resulting in drug use, depression, and other unpleasant things. Not a good thing.
#5 – Last, but certainly not least, I think the life of an Olympian is a wasted life. What on earth is the purpose of spending a lifetime, countless hours, and who knows how much money in training costs, to become the best in the world at something that really doesn’t matter? I mean, seriously, if you are the best in the world at the luge, what good are you? In my opinion, an Olympian is good for only 3 things: mediocre entertainment, being a human billboard, and writing books that nobody will ever read. Seems like a wasted life to me.
Thats an interesting idea, but its not that easy to chew Spandex. I suggest we eat the NBC Commentators first . Call them “tator tots’