Who Cares About the Olympics in a World without Patriotism?

American Thinker ^ | 14 Jul, 2024 | J.B. Shurk

[MtnClimber]

A country divided against itself is a country comfortable with defeat.

The Olympic Games return to Paris after a century’s absence, yet there is little excitement in the air. In Middle America, I really don’t hear anybody talking about them. Occasionally, some sports commercial reminds viewers about athletes whose names have largely been forgotten since their last appearance on the world stage. A few Big Box stores are selling Olympic-themed t-shirts, toys, dog leashes, drink mugs, and other sundries. Now and then, someone remarks that this would be a terrible time to visit the City of Light. Besides the knickknacks and small talk, though, few seem to care.

The television ratings over the last several Olympics bear out this general apathy. The well-produced spectacle has been steadily losing eyeballs during the first quarter of the present century, and there is no sign that the trend will reverse. I have seen many writers chalk this up to the growing number of streaming options peeling erstwhile viewers away. There is certainly truth in the observation that any program will receive more attention when people have fewer entertainment alternatives.

However, something else has changed. Passion for the Olympics is not what it once was. Water-cooler conversation about which American heroes will win gold medals and which foreign athletes pose the greatest challenge has all but disappeared. Americans still tune in for the Super Bowl with gusto. They still love baseball and basketball, and they’ve grown to embrace NASCAR, hockey, and soccer, too. If you walk into a sports bar, you can find people enthusiastically watching darts, bowling, boxing, volleyball, sport fishing and just about any other kind of contest or game. Yet here we approach one of the toughest athletic competitions in the world, and in my neck of the woods....

[rlmorel]

Last time I gave a crap about the Olympics was 1980.

I hated it when they let professionals in, even if it favored us (basketball)

[GrumpyOldGuy]

There is a great movie, “The boys in the boat”, about the 1936 men’s rowing team. The members were struggling through the depression, and rowing offered them a way out, gave them food and a bed. They won the gold that year. Back when people were proud to be on the team representing the country.

[kaktuskid]

The Olympics have become the Her-lympics.

[Lean-Right]

I’ve not watched the
olympics since they’ve
allowed pro players to
participate. All down hill
from there. Not what the
venue is all about.

[Trump Girl Kit Cat]

When I was young we were glued to the Olympics praying we would beat the Russian athletes, I haven’t watched ANY of the Olympics in more than decades!!

[Stravinsky]

Eh, we all watch for our own reasons. As a fan of some sports that are pretty international, I’m not as big into the Team USA aspect unless Team USA in that sport is actually one of the best. Of course, I want the USA to “win” in the unofficial overall medal count. And if it’s a sport I’m not familiar with (a decent number of them), of course I’m going to support the American. But I’ve rooted for athletes that weren’t from the US against American competitors when I knew they were superior because I follow the sport.