CALGARY- I love watching the Olympics. Winter, summer, it doesn’t matter, they’re both great. What’s not to like? And by the reaction around the country during and after the Sochi Games, most Canadians like watching the Olympics too.
But what really bothers me is that the Olympics, to most of us, is nothing more than a humungous reality TV show.
Viewers are instantly attracted to athletes they’ve never heard of before, or even cared about, until seeing them on TV at the Olympics for the first time.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s television at its very best, it’s compelling TV. It hooks us in to watch various sports, many we’ve never heard of and certainly not paid any attention to and then we watch for hours and hours, day after day, for 17 days straight. What draws viewers in even more, are those emotional back stories with mom and dad or sometimes you see the small town get together. The whole village has a rally to get behind the local snowboarder, giving her an emotional send off…gosh I’m getting misty just thinking about it. Then theres a dissolve to the live action…”and there she is folks, competing for Canada.”
Then when the athletes come home, we’re all over them, going to the airport cheering and taking pictures. The speedskater, who you didn’t recognize a few weeks ago happens to be where you work and you can’t wait to get a picture with them and post it on Twitter or Facebook for all your friends to see.
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This isn’t a bad thing. In fact it’s fantastic, but in my opinion, these superb athletes who compete with the world’s best before and after the games, are just somebody you saw on TV the other day, they’re simply your new favourite reality TV star. Heck, if that crazy person on Survivor showed up at work, they’d probably get the same attention at your office.
Wouldn’t it be nice if all your attention on our Sochi athletes would encourage you to show up at their next event?
You can cheer them on when they really need it. The next time the World Cup Ski Cross, my new favourite Olympic sport, comes to Nakiska, pack up the kids, call your friends, get a cowbell and head to slopes to see them in action. And don’t stop going once, follow them during the years between the Olympics. I know they’d appreciate it–in fact they tell me all the time how they wish people would pay attention more than just once every four years.
The next time Denny Morrison and Gilmore Junio race at the Oval in Calgary, be there, show them you care. But don’t let the Olympics be the only time you care.
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