I'm not watching the Olympics. The Chinese regime is genocidal. Many American firms and individuals with commercial ties to China have remained mute as Uyghurs are exterminated; in my view, these Americans have disgraced themselves. The Olympic Games are a huge propaganda opportunity for the host country. I don't want to be complicit in that, even if it's just me and nobody else cares.
Not tuning into the Olympics is not much of a hardship. There are many other things to watch and many other things to do with my time. As a general rule, I don't find athletes very interesting or even particularly likeable; I've never understood why media networks insist on putting retired jocks behind microphones. Elite athletes come across as privileged, self-absorbed, pampered and quite possibly pumped full of illicit substances. The television network coverage seems to revolve around trying to manipulate our emotions into falling in love with the athletes. I hate being manipulated. So I'll pass, NBC.
When I was a child, I was bursting with patriotic zeal for us to sock it to the Commies. Nowadays, I feel sorry for Russian and Chinese athletes (including women's tennis star Peng Shuai, who apparently has been detained by her government for many months, possibly after being sexually abused by a Communist Party official). And given the disparity in wealth and resources, I am not exactly brimming with national pride when an American triumphs over a Jamaican or Ghanaian competitor. In recent World Cup competition, the arrogance of the American women's soccer team filled me with revulsion as it routed and humiliated the national teams of countries a quarter of our size and many times poorer. If I'm not mistaken, the American men's team was excluded from the most recent World Cup soccer tournament because it lost in the pre-tournament qualifying to the tiny Caribbean island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. I can't tell you how pleased I was.
The other evening, my wife, who was sitting with me in the family room as we watched something other than the Olympics, begged me to turn the games on for just a few minutes. I handed her the remote, told her to go for it, and left the room. A bit later, when I returned for a few minutes, some American teen was appearing before the media - presumably she had just won a medal or something similar. I didn't quite catch the question, but it seemed to touch on how she felt about the oppressive Chinese regime. She smiled and said something along the lines of, 'Hey, I don't pay attention to that stuff; I'm just trying to live my best life.' I felt completely vindicated in staying away from the Games.
I am ignoring the Olympics too but not from any noble motives. I don't watch TV anymore. I gave that up after Trump was elected. But I had been tending in that direction even before.
ReplyDeleteAs for the Olympics themselves over the years I came to watch less and less. I was never very interested in the competition for medals. That all seemed to be very distorted by all the money and resources put into training athletes. The little nations never had much of a chance
After the Tienenmen Square massacre, I saw how US companies ignored the horror and rapidly moved their manufacturing to the PRC. If asked about it, they would just throw out some story about how investing in China would liberalize that country. No. Capitalism does not generate democracy.
ReplyDeleteI also can't interest myself in the Winter Olympics. Not directly from my dislike for the control freak Chinese government but because the whole Olympics just seems to be too much, too loud, too expensive, too nationalistic, too overimportant. I just don't care. Perhaps if they competed as individuals and at some fixed venue, it would be more tolerable.
I've always been pretty "meh" about the Olympics. Ditto to the things Jim mentioned that are objectionable. We haven't been keeping up this year much. But I do have admiration for some individual athletes. Last night we happened to catch the snow-boarding event of Chloe Kim. It was amazing, she defied gravity. And I found it touching that she was a bit emotional afterwards, said she had been "so scared". She didn't come across as entitled or overconfident.
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ReplyDeleteI will comment later with more detail. But initially I will point out that the US is among the few countries that does NOT. support their Olympians. Some poor countries do - because their top athletes are often from the monied class and because of the prestige factor.
ReplyDeleteThe US Olympic Committee is supported completely by private donations. Once athletes are selected for the team the Olympic Committee does support them during their final training camps and pays for their travel expenses to the Olympics. Until they reach that pinnacle- making an Olympic team - they are on their own throughout the years of training and competition. More later.
I just read an article highlighting problems with training for women's figure skating, particularly with a Russian coach: https://www.vox.com/22927130/kamila-valieva-doping-trimetazidine-ban-olympics-2022
ReplyDeleteI can't say I was too surprised to find out there has been emotional and physical abuse, and that eating disorders are endemic. It was said that "puberty is the enemy", because it makes girls get bigger. Injuries are common, it seems too high a price to pay for some fleeting glory, if the glory even happens.
Shaun White always looks like he's having fun and enjoys being there with other snowboarders. But I expect most if these kids come from privileged backgrounds or they would not be able to afford the coaches, the equipment, the travel to competitions, etc.
ReplyDeleteThe Dr. Larry Nassar case here has garnered a lot of attention on the abusive environment parents and coaches create for little girls as young as 4 in gymnastics and other individual sports like figure skating.
The dark side of the Olympics is hardly a secret. You wouldn't get people into the theater to see "I, Tonya" or "Blades of Glory" without wide acknowledgement that "amateur" sports are a pretty toxic racket.
I know several former Olympians, from two different generations. Some were from affluent families but many were not. Very often extended family and community groups, church groups etc help pay the expenses for talented athletes from not-affluent families as they qualify for national and international competition. Communities where selection camps are held also help. Selection camps are for invited athletes who are under consideration for national teams ( non- Olympic year World Championship Teams) or Olympic teams and there are usually volunteer families who host the athletes in their homes because often these young athletes don’t have the money for hotels and meals out. At one selection camp locale that I am familiar with, a priest who runs a Newman center puts up multiple athletes invited to the local camp. Beds are first come, first served and the the late arrivals camp out on the couches and floors. I know of one athlete selected for a world championship team whose friends had a big fundraiser in his hometown at the local bar because neither he nor his family could afford the airfare and hotel expenses to get him to the world championships he had qualified for. Most of the athletes at Olympics are not in glamour sports - no live tv coverage, no celebrity status, and no chance for a lucrative product endorsement contract after. Those are usually for gold medal gymnasts, divers, swimmers, skiers, snowboarders, etc - who are a minority of all of the athletes.
ReplyDeleteThese young athletes have sacrificed greatly to get there. For years they do nothing but study, if still in school, and train. Out of school they work at low paid but flexible hours jobs ( barista at a coffee place, or work at a big box store or similar) - and train. The dedication and discipline required are worthy of great respect and admiration and they shouldn’t be held responsible for the host country’s transgressions. And few are ever in the limelight- except maybe for a few minutes on the medal stand - if they medal - and most do not.
In many countries young athletes who have Olympic potential are fully supported by their governments from high school on (younger for gymnasts, skaters and a few others) so they don’t need to pour cappuccinos to help pay their expenses. US athletes do not get that support.
Another boycott opportunity for you, Jim
ReplyDeletehttps://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/faith-and-football-seeking-ethical-responses-super-bowl-controversy