I'm not into the Olympics, never have been, so I wasn't as excited as alot of people were. But luckily they're not on ESPN, Court TV, The Food Network, or The Travel Channel, so my viewing pleasure was safe.
BUT...my wife is. She is glued to the screen. She starts watching as soon as they are on, into what I assume the wee hours. I am asleep, I do not know. But since its on, I find myself getting reeled in more and more. So here are my views so far.
Michael Phelps is a freak of nature. He is absolutely incredible. He is the one thing I tried to make sure I watched. Not only is he winning gold, but he is winning each one in world record time. I hope he gets gold in every event, so I can say I actually saw one of the greatest sports feats of all time.
I watched the women's beach volleyball. I got sucked into the hype of them being in hardly any clothes. I may be in the minority here, but I wish they'd cover up more. I'm not a fan of tall, lanky women, with no asses. Or volleyball.
I like watching the events that I have absolutely no chance of doing myself. Or that aren't lab experiments, so track and field are out. So swimming, which I can barely do, and would probably drown if my life depended on it, and gymnastics hold my attention. I like the weightlifting and boxing too.
And I have an odd rooting pattern for gymnastics, because I know nothing about it. I only root for the girls over 18. I don't care what country they are from. The rest all make me feel dirty, because the flexibility is just...Wow. So 18 and over rooting for me.
On the men's side, I root American. They were at a disadvantage this year, and the Chinese athletes were incredible, but the dedication to get to where they were, commendable.
The most exciting story for me though, was ...I think her name is Daria Torrez, who won gold at 40 years old, in swimming. Not only is she gorgeous, but what an athlete. I've heard her on the radio to, and she's smart and funny also. Being the same age, and eating a donut and drinking a Mt Dew as I type this, her dedication is incredible. And I figured if Michael Phelps swam competitively until that age, he should have approximately 40 medals from the Olympics by then.
I think the one event I don't want to see is the men's basketball. We have probably the top 8 players in the world, and the 4th best team. Because American basketball is too much a me me me sport, and the Europeans pass, work, and play team defense together. Sure, the individual skills can beat Angola, but recent history has shown, it can't beat Argentina.
Women's softball and basketball are kicking ass and taking names, as is women's soccer. I've watched alot of softball this year on ESPN, I'm not sure why. I blame Cyndi, her daughter plays, and I think it subliminally makes me watch it.
But I am getting into it more and more. I like it when the Americans win, but I don't live and die by it, because watching someone who's dedicated years of their life , and it all paying off, is truly exciting. Congratulations to all the winners.
