The Birds Nest in Beijing is spectacular. I’ve seen American Birds Nests in the US and clearly China is winning when it comes to avian houses.
During the opening weekend of football I felt like something was missing. I know that for some friends, this weekend is the best. They track their fantasy football teams, cheer for their favorite team, avoid human contact all Sunday afternoon while they watch every available second. I am not a football fan. I will watch a game and engage with my friends but it’s about friendship, not the sport. Seeing their zeal for football reminded me of how much I miss the Olympics.
I like the idea of nations coming together to engage in sports and represent their countries. I liked the challenge and the fact that these are the worlds best. This years Olympics were different though. It was as if the spectacular opening ceremonies grabbed everyone’s attention and said “tune in, this is going to be awesome.” The ratings show that people did tune in. For those 2 weeks, we had a nice break from the political garbage that’s been filling the airwaves. Each day the talk around the water cooler at work was about the events of the night before. There was a positive vibe and it made me feel united with my friends. I did miss my old roommate Josh sitting on the couch arguing with the gymnastic judges; “Eight point seven…she stuck it!” Mind you he’s never done gymnastics and yet is questioning a judge that’s devoted their life to the sport, but our feeling of empowerment is one of the great things about the Olympics.
Clearly the Chinese officials got what they wanted. I heard some staggering figures about the money they invested in the cities infrastructure to ensure a seamless experience and the training to ensure as many gold medals as possible. All of the negative press about human rights violations and horrible smog seemed to fade away. Every time I saw a helicopter shot before a commercial break the streets were empty in this giant metropolis. It was clear that a communist memo went out to say, no driving in the city for 2 weeks. Imagine how that memo would be received in the US. Hopefully we will see in Chicago, 2016. But as for 2008, it was a polished and nearly perfect presentation.
The Chinese spent 44 billion dollars on these games. There were great moments like the opening ceremonies that made this investment clear. The opening ceremonies in Athens 4 years early set a record with $28 million in costs, Beijing shattered that by spending $300 million on theirs. When you saw the 15,000 people performing it became obvious why it was so expensive. With all that investment it seemed like they could have at least coordinated some seat fillers. I understand there are dozens of events at one time, but you’re a communist nation with huge pockets and over a billion people… why can’t you coordinate the effort to make sure there are always packed housed?
Even with these petty imperfections it was still a great set of games. A month later I do miss them and hope that London has the same excitement…In the mean time, it’s back to hearing about football. I will end this blog with a recollection of a few memorable Olympic moments.
Moment that ticked me off.
I have to share a negative, because this really ticked me off. While becoming the fastest man in the world, he decided to slow down and showboat for the last 20 meters. Sure he beat the record, but he could have destroyed it. Instead he slows down and raises his hands in the air. Then he comes across like an arrogant teenager during his victory lap. I wanted some class, but unfortunately talent and tact aren’t always present in the same person.
Moment that broke my heart.
Ok, Lolo Jones was the odds on favorite for the 100 meter hurdles. She’d trained her whole life and took off with a clear lead. As the race was clearly hers, her foot clipped the 2nd to last hurdle. She finished the race second to last and immediately hit the ground after the finish line. Staring up to the sky she was overwhelmed with disappointment, she just seemed shocked.
Then she had the class to go over and do a post race interview. She was pleasant and congratulated the teammate that won. She said, “I run that race every day and hit two hurdles a year. I just happened to hit a hurdle on the biggest race of my life.” This broke my heart and apparently broke hers. She walked off to the tunnel and when she thought she was out of sight, she leaned against the wall and just sobbed. I was teary watching this athlete break down. Its still very memorable and in a sad way, a highlight.
Thanks for reading my super long post, I had to write a long enough blog to keep your Olympic blog needs for the next 4 years!
