The Olympics has always been one of my favorite events. When I was a little kid I would watch sitting on my grandfather's lap holding the coins he got when he attended the Olympics in Los Angeles in 1932. We went back together in 1984 to watch the end of the marathon.
When my family traveled to Europe in 1972 we did not go to the Olympics in Munich (we did see the concentration camps so when the Israeli team was killed that piled on another layer of trauma and is probably a big reason why I've never been back to Germany), but we did go to Olympia in the Peloponnese to see the site of the original games. We got lost as per usual when traveling with my dad who never saw a scenic route he didn't want to take, and had to pull over on this small dirt road running along the sea, for a lone runner with a police escort and an amulance behind, carrying the flame as it began it's journey to the games.
I've never been to a winter Olympics because being a Cal bred girl I don't tolerate snow and cold weather very well. I know that I would probably end up in a bar watching them on TV. The winter Olympics are probably my favorite though because I love the skiing and skating and, in general, anything that involves speed and danger.
Over the last decade I have found myself more and more annoyed with the coverage of the Olympics and the seemingly desperate need by the news outlets to politicize them. And in the last summer Olympics I became aware of the negative speak that was coming out of the mouths of the commentators when they were covering, oh, pretty much any sport.
It was like having your bubby sitting there, "He over rotated and made a splash with his feet, oh that'll cost him." I know it's their job to point out what the ideal is but it's gets so old listening to the constant focus on failure.
No one bothers me more than Bob Costas. There is a subtext of pompousness pouring out of his head with the little boy haircut and I find it so distracting. Bob you do not always have to say something. And if you feel that you do look for those words that are positive and inspiring that may express your enthusiasm for what you are doing.
My whole life my nana who was a huge basketball fan would only listen to Chick Hearn call the Laker games. And if the game was on a network with another commentator she would mute the TV and listen to Chick on the transistor radio.
You know what I would love? For someone who loves the Olympics like I do to have a podcast I could tune into to watch my events. So I could mute the TV and not have to listen to Bob ever again.
So if someone could get on that before 2016 that would be great.
Tonight me and mine will be parked in front of the TV for opening ceremonies and I will get that frisson of excitement when I hear that Olympics theme song.
And I'm thinking we need a drinking game for Bob Costas coverage - like everytime he says something negative you have to do a shot.
I'm open to suggestions - we've got all month.
