The Crying Games

National Journal ^ | Feb. 8, 2002 | William Powers

[Tennessee_Bob]

Danke,

Hey...I had a hangnail once - and another time, I had about a gallon of JP-4 dumped over my head by a newbie troop. Had chemical burns in both eyes. Reckon I can get in the Olympics???

[RedBloodedAmerican]

yeesh! Smoke break?

[Tennessee_Bob]

Stupid double clicking fingers....been doing some file management stuff here and got carried away.....

[RedBloodedAmerican]

I meant the JP4, hope it wasnt right before a smoke break!!

[Tall_Texan]

I think you miss the point. The Olympics are not supposed to resemble the Oprah Winfrey Show. It's supposed to be about sports competition. And sure, there are some compelling personal stories at every Olympics and nobody is rooting against someone because they are a cancer survivor or a latchkey kid. What they resent is how such stories seem to become bigger than the games themselves.

We know nothing about the Lithuanian who wins the biathalon because he doesn't speak English and has no life of hardship to overcome, but we DO know about the American who finishes 44th because he lost his mum at age 7 and shows the skill of weeping on cue.

[Tennessee_Bob]

Oh...lol...it's ok, the eyes are still bleary

[Snow Bunny]

LOL you are a riot. I did not post the article and I could care less about the person that wrote this trash.

Have you ever been in a sport?? Worked out at all???

I have and believe me it is an experience I loved.

I watch for the sports, the media want to bring us the story behind the story, that is fine with me. BUT KEEP GIVING ME THE OLYMPICS AND SPORTS!!!

I do not mind if they want to tell me the person's history, but what ticks me off is how they do not show ALL the events and ALL the competitors. If they spent less time on the commie announcers of the events like Tom Brokaw etc. and MORE on the events and even YESSS the struggle to get to the point of competition that is what I care about.

YOU think bleudevil I already do! I iwant it all, the events, the sports, the stories of the competitiors.....and kick off the stupid commie idiots that are self absorbed like announcers of wanting their own mug on the screen. It is NOT about the media it is about those competiting and the actual competitions !

[mafree]

I've always liked the "human interest" element to the Olympics myself. Makes you see that these are not just athletes, but human beings with lives, feelings, joys, sorrows, etc. Sure, at times it can seem a bit too maudlin but it is enjoyable IMO.

[Snow Bunny]

I never watch the Oprah Winfrey Show. YUK. hahaaa

[mindprism.com]

It's about the "feminization" of the Olympics, the effort to pull in more female viewers by giving them the soft, emotional content that women supposedly need in order to enjoy sports.

Women are emotional masochists. There! I said it. [defensive fisticuffs motions]