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Op/Ed: iam is Thankful for the Olympics. |
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Written by iambrown: Browns 24/7 Staff Writer
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Wednesday, 22 February 2006 |
 Thank God for the Olympics. Three years out of every four, these dark cold days of February crawl by like some slow sickness sucking the enthusiasm out of sports fans. But this year, we've got the delicious diversion of the pagentry and pain, colors and collapses, medals and missteps of international competition.
In one week, we have seen: the first individual gold medal ever awarded to a African American male in the Winter Games; our First Lady of Figure Skating spin herself out of the Games to have The Cinderella of Salt Lake's sister act as substitute; Braggart Bode Miller "join us" in the ranks of those who can't ski in the Olympics; The Flying Tomato win a Golden Donut; a young snow boarding queen age quicker than she flew down the course before tricking herself out of a sure win; the Norwegians falter in their national sport; the South Koreans take the short track back to world domination by beating Public Enemy Number Ohno; those damn sexy blond Swedes outlass our hockey chicks to win the right to be pounded by the puck-loving Canuckettes; and enough sets of strategy-laden rock throwing to make our toes curl.
There were even crashes to keep the Nascar set from fast-forwarding to their Holy Grail of Races. As if we were witnessing America's fastest growing sport, we watched replay after replay of the carnage, albeit sans Southern drawl detailing the condition of some guy's rubber.
Meanwhile, pitchers and catchers have found their way to the Sunshine State to restart our own faltering national pasttime and with it the hope that springs eternal in our baseball-loving breasts. And at week's end as the Winter Olympics are closing up shop until they resume again in Vancouver of all places, (Tim, will you be willing to have some company who will likely want to drag you to some Nordic Combined skiing events in about four years?) we can all turn our attention to a bunch of young men who'll be showing their wares in a Combine event of their own.
Not bad- for February. |
