Failure of Greek proportions

I am not a fan of the Olympics. I enjoy and appreciate sports coverage leading up to the games and the spotlight our country puts on current and raising stars, however the Olympics themselves have for years has been a global bashfest on America, giving international reporters a veiled opportunity through sports to bring this great country down in global public opinion, which already suffers a great deal.

America celebrates success and even through it aspires to be great in all things, Americans appreciate a sports loss in which the victor wins fairly and with honor. America aches for victory in all its own endeavors, perhaps because as a free country we are naked and transparent in our desires for champion behavior. Champion like behavior invokes strength, it invites the awakening of untapped potential and the concept of betterment. However in countries led by dictators, usurpers and socialism, champions are at least ignored or conscripted and at worst imprisoned, enslaved or beaten.

The quick reasons for slacking of anti-American sentiment in the games this year is that its easier to describe the negativity of our economy, the global oil issue and China is a fertile punching bag with its own disasters such as uprisings in Tibet, earthquakes, algae blooms, pollution and lack of dissension.

The Olympic games of the past were meant to be days of equal contest, festivals and celebration amidst contestants. Athletes are to supposed to be impartial ambassadors, for the sport however their speed, strength and ability are now considered extensions of their own countries power. In the current global politic, there is no doubt that anti-American bias exists and an American medal is another chance to bemoan success of our ideals or personal bias against government policy of the USA.

We have seen in recent World Cups, Pan-American games, Goodwill games and the like that anti-American sentiment is more important than competition. For example a 2004 USA v. Mexico soccer game in Mexico when the spectators cheered "Osama". The chant occurred again when Miss USA went farther than Miss Mexico in a beauty pageant.

I suppose at this point I should cover my ass and make clear that I am not anti-athlete and wish all Olympians the best race they are capable of with no recrimination by their country for their finishes. Thousands of athletes have devoted their entire lives for these games, sacrificing more than any sane person thinks reasonable. I do not believe the karma of a country is witnessed through athletic pursuit in the games. Conversely and contrary to upcoming media hype, the humanitarianism and goodwill of a country is not dependent on where it sits on who has the most gold, silver or bronze medals for the day. China's deplorable human rights positions and energy plans are not going to be different if they win the most medals, nor will America receive any better press if they do so.

I will watch the games to some extent, the events that appeal to me the most. In the end I only wish that they are not marred by terrorist attacks like in Munich and Atlanta. And personally I hope the Chinese government loses billions in revenue further eroding their ability to project a false sense of global unity. But that's a political bias and not an athletic one.