2010 Winter Olympics: The 5-Ringed Circus

Excuse the cynicism and the seemingly bitter tone of this bout of antagonism, but the Olympics are nothing more than a modern day version of a Barnum and Baily 3-ring circus (on a much larger scale, of course). Let me start by pointing out the monies squandered on the Olympics. Earlier this month, the total expenditure on this worldly event was estimated at 6 billion dollars (600 million of that is coming from taxpayers, yeah, that's you and I). Thirty to 40 million of that total was poured into the opening ceremonies that finished up last night and can be described as an anti-climatic and overly exorbitant calamity that featured multiple lit-up bears, the cast of the Nutcracker, and an embarrassing cauldron malfunction. I'm not even going to comment on the much more deserving outlets that 6 billion dollars could have been redirected at with extensive benefit...


So, the circus analogy? Well this spectacle is nothing more than that, a spectacle (speaking from an American perspective). It gives Americans an inflated sense of ungrounded patriotism that fails to reverberate after a few measly days of curling, bandy, and skijoring, among other exhilarating events. Go ahead and call me unpatriotic, but I'd suggest looking in the mirror and asking the person looking back at you why it takes a grown man in tights gracefully pirouetting around an icy circle to finally realize that you love the country and culture that you live in. (And then go back to whining and complaining about the government immediately thereafter.)

The point is, the Olympics are great for the athletes, coaches, trainers, families, and others that work so hard to earn a rightful place amongst the world's elite. But where it goes astray is its attempt to capitalize off of media and publicity and turn into a monetarily-driven hoopla that ends up being no more than a worldwide circus.