Tuesday, August 17, 2004
Who’s Got Olympic Fever?
Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve loved the Olympics, if only because we only got three channels (CBS, NBC, and PBS) and even the crappy events sure beat whatever Major Dad and Masterpiece Theatre were doing that day. Now that I’m older, I have less time on my hands to watch (sorry, women’s judo, I’ve got to go in to work at some point!), but I still tune in when I can. And the promotional machine was right -- there are some truly magical things about the Olympics:
– Bob Costas gets a fresh coat of paint and name brand oil for his gears.
– Uncomfortably revealing spandex body suits tide Star Trek fans over between seasons.
– Sportscasters rise to new levels of over-the-top imagery, comparing Russian gymnasts to painted china ducks and Kenyan track stars to charging hyenas on runaway trains.
– Americans get a rare opportunity to 1) learn about new and interesting countries and 2) kick those countries’ asses anyway.
– McDonald’s commercials for Big Macs and french fries juxtapose nicely with images of tiny gymnasts who will never, ever eat them.
– Opening ceremonies demonstrate that some universal images can be disturbingly bizarre and at the same time vaguely boring to people of all cultures.
– Athletes enjoy a level of fame somewhat less fleeting than that of reality show contestants but somewhat more fleeting than that of, say, Jared the Subway Guy.
– NBC mercilessly promotes its new fall lineup until elderly Iowa viewers believe that Father of the Pride is an actual event and Joey has three gold medals in archery.
– Daily editions of the Today Show live from Greece help me indulge my fantasy of getting Matt Lauer deported.
And there's so much more to come!
Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve loved the Olympics, if only because we only got three channels (CBS, NBC, and PBS) and even the crappy events sure beat whatever Major Dad and Masterpiece Theatre were doing that day. Now that I’m older, I have less time on my hands to watch (sorry, women’s judo, I’ve got to go in to work at some point!), but I still tune in when I can. And the promotional machine was right -- there are some truly magical things about the Olympics:
– Bob Costas gets a fresh coat of paint and name brand oil for his gears.
– Uncomfortably revealing spandex body suits tide Star Trek fans over between seasons.
– Sportscasters rise to new levels of over-the-top imagery, comparing Russian gymnasts to painted china ducks and Kenyan track stars to charging hyenas on runaway trains.
– Americans get a rare opportunity to 1) learn about new and interesting countries and 2) kick those countries’ asses anyway.
– McDonald’s commercials for Big Macs and french fries juxtapose nicely with images of tiny gymnasts who will never, ever eat them.
– Opening ceremonies demonstrate that some universal images can be disturbingly bizarre and at the same time vaguely boring to people of all cultures.
– Athletes enjoy a level of fame somewhat less fleeting than that of reality show contestants but somewhat more fleeting than that of, say, Jared the Subway Guy.
– NBC mercilessly promotes its new fall lineup until elderly Iowa viewers believe that Father of the Pride is an actual event and Joey has three gold medals in archery.
– Daily editions of the Today Show live from Greece help me indulge my fantasy of getting Matt Lauer deported.
And there's so much more to come!
