An Olympic perspective

We all know television can warp our perspective. Some people still believe that DNA can be identified in a matter of minutes and that TV interviews are always live.

And during the games, I saw touching commercials with the schmaltzy music where parents watch their small children becoming inspired by the Olympics to try new sports and perhaps, one day, find themselves sporting gold.  So I head out to my local snow hills to watch our future Olympians with my heart full and my hopes high. 

Five minutes in, I’m left disappointed.  I don’t hear a single note and nobody’s carrying a Tim Hortons cup.

Which means the Olympics has also skewed my perspective.  But I’m not alone.

Although Canada’s team started the games strong with a string of medals that had everyone on a high, the momentum soon dropped.  We were down to one or two trips to the podium a day.  Suddenly, reporters were talking about Olympic curses and athletes losing their steam.  Online, viewers complained that we were “losing” the games. 

Then, Day 14 arrived.  A couple of golds later, we were back on top and the public tone changed.  But it’s this schizophrenic attitude toward our athletes that befuddles me. 

First, when we didn’t medal, we didn’t lose to just some dude from out of town.  We were competing against the top athletes in the world. 

The point zero-zero-zero-zero-one per cent!  The freakishly athletically gifted! 

Second, the scores were measured in hundredths of a point.  The difference between first and second – or even tenth – was practically negligible.  Why weren’t we just awed by the feats we’d accomplished?

And third, what’s with the “We?”  “We won.”  “We lost.”  I know that I didn’t train for eight hours a day.  I would have remembered barrelling down a mountain at breakneck speed or steering a sled through a shoot with my kegels. 

No, I stayed warm at home in front of the TV with a snack in hand – sometimes a drink too – as did most Canadians.  So while I’m proud of the athletes who represented this country, I will not take credit for their success. 

They had a lot of emotional support.  But in the end, they did it on their own.  And for that, I’m most proud.

Well, that and beating the U.S – like you weren’t thinking the same thing.

And we did.  Yes, U.S. entertainment websites and their official broadcaster focused on the total medal count which placed the U.S. team in second.  However, Olympic officials and nearly every other news outlet in the world go by gold medals won, thereby putting the U.S. in fourth place – behind Canada. 

Ironically, until the second last day, Canada had the most silver – making them the No. 3 country number one at being No. 2.  And the U.S. only collected so many medals because they’d won the most bronze – making them No. 1 at being No 3. 

If we’re being generous, that means they tied Canada – if we’re being generous.