I discovered the Olympic Games in the school library when I was in 5th grade. They came in an old beat up book published when Bobs Mathias and Richards were still big-name athletes in the Decathlon and Pole-vault, respectively.

For that entire school year, I was the only student who checked that book out, and I read it so often that I can still recite the venue for each Olympiad since 1896?and most of those who won gold medals, even in long-defunct events, like the Standing Hop, Step, and Jump.

I?m not what you would call a big-time winter sports fan, though I dig Biathlon competition and Figure Skating. Just the same, I?ll probably watch the winter games anyway, just because they?re the Olympics.

This leads me to comment that I no longer hold the Olympic Games in the same esteem as I did in my youth. I suppose my once-na?ve view of them has been tarnished by Black Power demonstrations, terrorists shooting up the Olympic Village, and judges displaying their national partisanship too openly. Mostly, the Olympics have lost their intrigue for me because of the commercialism. For instance, when did pastimes become Olympic-level sports? If the International Olympic Committee is allowing Snowmobiling as an official sport, why not checkers and tic tac toe? After all, I?m quite certain these ?sports? could garner the same attendance necessary to further stuff the Olympic coffer.

Yup, I?ll be watching the Olympics this year, but I shall do so with a good glass of spirits.

While I still enjoy watching the Olympics, the commercialism and the politics have hurt the spirit what should be a coming together of nations. Instead it is the suits and corporate types vying and grubbing for every dollar at the athlete's expense.

Gennee

I agree completely. I watch the games of course, but it lost the appeal for me with all the commercialism going on, promoting the event as nothing more than a little party for athletes. But I love watching the nations compete with each other, and probably always will.