Tonight will wrap up the two-week run of the Games of the XXX Olympiad, a summer Olympics that was a fun one to watch and experience with friends, family and countrymen.
As is usually the case with the Olympics, there were moments of extreme joy, the edge-of-the-seat kind of action that has the whole house, bar, restaurant — wherever one might be watching — standing up and cheering wildly.
As is also the case, we got to see the agony of defeat and the look of utter humiliation and sadness that is difficult to hide from the prying eyes of TV camera close-ups at the point of athletic failure on sports’ biggest stage.
The London 2012 games gave us all of that and more, and during a summer, especially locally, where all one can do is stay inside in the air conditioning, it was the perfect vehicle to transfix an audience, transcend the heat and transport us all to Piccadilly Circus, Westminster Abbey or Buckingham Palace.
Sure, one could criticize that the 24-hour news cycle and the severely taped-delay nature of NBC’s primetime event coverage put a damper on the excitement of results many of us knew hours beforehand, but the performances themselves were worth witnessing.
In many ways, this was one of better Olympic-watching experiences for Americans and fans of sports in general. Take U.S. gymnastics, for instance — it was arguably the one sport during the games that had a little bit of everything, good, bad and ugly.
The magic of watching the women’s gymnastics team take gold in stellar performance after performance could only be topped by seeing Gabby Douglas become just the fourth American woman to capture the individual all-around gold and the first black woman to accomplish this feat.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, to watch the U.S. men’s team implode right before our eyes was heartbreaking. All of that drama could be seen on the face of American gymnast John Orozco, who after a series of falls and near misses, sat by fighting back the tears, shaking with emotion. It was impossible not to feel for him and the whole team.
Could U.S. swimmer Ryan Lochte be considered a bust were it not for the historic performance of Michael Phelps, who earned his 19th gold medal and 22nd medal overall to become the most decorated Olympian ever?
Does it matter when there were so many moments to remember? And all the magic wasn’t just based around the United States. No one is going to argue the greatness and the electrifying charisma of Jamaican sprinter and fastest man on the planet, Usain Bolt or the dominant run of Mexico’s men’s soccer team.
These were all the moments, the storylines and the acts of greatness that can only some from the Olympics, and organized sports in general. Hopefully we can seize these moments as Americans, and use them as inspiration for better things, even if just for more active lifestyles in an age of sedentary living and increasing obesity.
Sports have a galvanizing effect on people, and a positive impact on not just the body but the soul and the spirit, of nations and individuals. Let’s keep it going past tonight, past Summer 2012. It is certainly possible.
THE ISSUE:
London 2012 ends two-week run.
WE SAY:
The games were exciting to watch for Americans and fans of sport in general.
WHAT DO YOU SAY?
Send us your thoughts on this topic to www.ivpressonline.com/letterstotheeditor
To join the discussion and add your comments about this story, please click here to be directed to Facebook.
As is usually the case with the Olympics, there were moments of extreme joy, the edge-of-the-seat kind of action that has the whole house, bar, restaurant — wherever one might be watching — standing up and cheering wildly.
As is also the case, we got to see the agony of defeat and the look of utter humiliation and sadness that is difficult to hide from the prying eyes of TV camera close-ups at the point of athletic failure on sports’ biggest stage.
The London 2012 games gave us all of that and more, and during a summer, especially locally, where all one can do is stay inside in the air conditioning, it was the perfect vehicle to transfix an audience, transcend the heat and transport us all to Piccadilly Circus, Westminster Abbey or Buckingham Palace.
Sure, one could criticize that the 24-hour news cycle and the severely taped-delay nature of NBC’s primetime event coverage put a damper on the excitement of results many of us knew hours beforehand, but the performances themselves were worth witnessing.
In many ways, this was one of better Olympic-watching experiences for Americans and fans of sports in general. Take U.S. gymnastics, for instance — it was arguably the one sport during the games that had a little bit of everything, good, bad and ugly.
The magic of watching the women’s gymnastics team take gold in stellar performance after performance could only be topped by seeing Gabby Douglas become just the fourth American woman to capture the individual all-around gold and the first black woman to accomplish this feat.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, to watch the U.S. men’s team implode right before our eyes was heartbreaking. All of that drama could be seen on the face of American gymnast John Orozco, who after a series of falls and near misses, sat by fighting back the tears, shaking with emotion. It was impossible not to feel for him and the whole team.
Could U.S. swimmer Ryan Lochte be considered a bust were it not for the historic performance of Michael Phelps, who earned his 19th gold medal and 22nd medal overall to become the most decorated Olympian ever?
Does it matter when there were so many moments to remember? And all the magic wasn’t just based around the United States. No one is going to argue the greatness and the electrifying charisma of Jamaican sprinter and fastest man on the planet, Usain Bolt or the dominant run of Mexico’s men’s soccer team.
These were all the moments, the storylines and the acts of greatness that can only some from the Olympics, and organized sports in general. Hopefully we can seize these moments as Americans, and use them as inspiration for better things, even if just for more active lifestyles in an age of sedentary living and increasing obesity.
Sports have a galvanizing effect on people, and a positive impact on not just the body but the soul and the spirit, of nations and individuals. Let’s keep it going past tonight, past Summer 2012. It is certainly possible.
THE ISSUE:
London 2012 ends two-week run.
WE SAY:
The games were exciting to watch for Americans and fans of sport in general.
WHAT DO YOU SAY?
Send us your thoughts on this topic to www.ivpressonline.com/letterstotheeditor
To join the discussion and add your comments about this story, please click here to be directed to Facebook.
