Thursday, August 18, 2016

Olympic blahs--same ol' same ol'

Despite the trepidations leading up to the Rio Olympics, so far there have been few disasters.  Sure, the green water was a little off-putting, and now Brazilian officials want to arrest Americans who claimed they were robbed at gunpoint for good reason, it turns out) but there hasn’t been an incident like the entire velodrome collapsing during the final heat of the Keirin, so let’s count our lucky stars.

But despite all the winning by American athletes, generally speaking the ratings are trending behind those of London four years ago.  There are a number of reasons for this; people are watching events by streaming on-line instead of accepting whatever sport NBC deigns to televise; the time-shifting of events means results are not seen live; if you watch NBC you are five times more likely to see a touching profile of a courageous athlete rather than actual competition.

But I think there is another reason.  The Olympics have become a rerun.  You remember reruns?  They are what TV networks used to show when they let shows take a break from production over the summer.  In the 1950’s TV shows would produce 40 weekly episodes, and then take 12 weeks off in the summer.  Networks would dutifully show re-broadcasts of the better episodes so viewers wouldn’t get out of the habit of sitting in front of their TV sets from 8PM to 11PM every night.

The 2016 Rio Olympics are a rerun.  Michael Phelps wins medals in swimming?  Seen it.  Usain Bolt wins the 100 and 200 meter races?  Seen it twice.  Kerri Walsh Jennings doesn’t win the Gold?  Okay, that’s new because she won Gold the previous three times.  Sure there are lots of new faces in events dominated by the young, like gymnastics (exactly how many “women” compete in “women’s gymnastics”?).  But by and large most of the stars of the London Olympics are back for more.

It used to be the Olympics were one-shot opportunities for athletes, and if you had the bad fortune to be injured, or your country decided to boycott the Games, when you were at your athletic peak, you were out of luck.  There were some multiple Olympians in obscure events, like discus thrower Al Oeter, or in events where age didn’t diminish your ability to compete, like shooting events and equestrian events, but basically every four years it was a new crop of fresh faces to root for.

This was mainly because the Olympics were committed to an ideal called “amateurism.”  It’s a strange concept these days when it is absurd to refer to college football players as “amateur athletes” but at one time it was the Olympic ideal.  If you don’t believe me, watch the movie Chariots of Fire (if you can stay awake; it is one of the dullest Best Picture Oscar winners ever).  At the start of the 20th century, not only were the athletes amateurs, but even having a professional COACH was forbidden.  These were amateur athletes who trained, competed in one Olympics, and then went on to be milkmen, accountants, or mothers.

The wall was chipped away at and the dam burst in 1992 when the Olympics allowed professional basketball players to compete.  Once athletes could earn money at their sport, they could train year round and stay in shape longer.  Thanks to ESPN the concept of what could be called a “sport” exploded to where you could not only be a professional skateboarder, but you could be a rich one.  Usain Bolt’s job is to run in the Olympics every four years (although I am sure he runs other places in the interim).  So much for amateurism.

But as the saying goes, familiarity breeds contempt.  Sure watching Michael Phelps win his 20th medal is exciting, but less exciting than watching him win his first.  And where is the immediacy?  Did you miss Usain Bolt winning the 100 meter dash in London?  Don’t worry; you can see him in four years in Rio.

There is much to be said for the switch to professionalism.  Economic incentive does motivate performance.  For years the “amateur” system was exploited by a Soviet system that simply drafted their best athletes into the military, making them amateur athletes and professional soldiers.  Money means better training, more focus, and better results.  But we aren’t rooting for ordinary people doing extraordinary things; we are root for people who are not like us.

In the 31 seasons between 1980 and 2010, 5 teams won 28 of 31 NBA titles—the Lakers, Bulls, Celtics, Spurs, and Pistons.  There were some great teams during that run, but if you rooted for the Sacramento Kings, or the San Diego/LA Clippers, or any other the 25 franchises in the league, you couldn’t “Wait ‘til next year” because next year never came.  I think the NBA is more exciting now that places like Oakland and Dallas can compete for a title.  Usain Bolt winning the 100 three years in a row is an amazing accomplishment, but not one afforded previous Olympians.


Bob Hayes had to convert his win in the 1964 Olympic 100 meter dash into a football career.  Usain Bolt will never have to be hit by a 275 pound lineman to cash in on his Olympic glory.  Good for him, but boring for the rest of us.

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