Warning: Grumpy Old Man Ahead!
I'm not real happy with the American media's spin on the Olympics this time around. First there was the whole Michelle Kwan disaster -- you'd think Kwan was competing in figure skating, alpine skiing, bobsled, and curling by the way the media cried "the sky is falling!" when she dropped out. Michelle is gone! No reason to watch anymore! We'll lose to UPN in the ratings! That's got to make Sasha Cohen feel good, to say nothing of Kimmie Meissner and Emily Hughes. It's sports, folks...people drop out when they get hurt. The coverage should be about the competition itself, but if you have to manufacture a story, there are other Americans to talk about.
The problem is, the media is really going out of its way to focus on those athletes who I least want to be representing my country. After Kwan (who was humble and gracious in her interviews) the athlete who's getting the most attention is Bode Miller. I realize that athletes have to be confident, and that confidence can come across as arrogance, and that you have to be nearly insane to ski downhill at the speeds they do. I get that. But on a day where Ted Ligety comes from way far behind to take gold, what's the big story? Miller got disqualified. Why? Because Miller's a hot dog who says ill-considered things to the media.
But Johnny Weir takes the cake. I hadn't really planned to watch the men's figure skating, because I'm not all that interested, but I watched it anyway, and so I managed to see Weir's profile segment, in which he managed to come off like the ultimate arrogant jackass. Yes, we get it, Johnny...you break the rules! You're a rebel! You challenge the skating establishment by wearing a CCCP sweatshirt during your interview! (Go ahead and imagine emphatic air quotes during the last few sentences.) I know they edit those things to death, and they could make Ghandi sound like an arrogant jerk if they wanted to, but man, he came off annoying. I was actually hoping he'd fall during the short program, and I've never rooted against an American athlete before.
Every Olympiad, we hear about an athlete who was inspired to take up some sport because he or she saw the Olympics on TV 8 or 12 years earlier. The Olympics on TV create the next generation of athletes, and for every one who actually makes it to the games, there are hundreds who "only" get inspired to try a new sport. We should be showcasing those athletes who embody the meaning of sportsmanship, not the ones who reinforce the "ugly American" stereotype.
The problem is, the media is really going out of its way to focus on those athletes who I least want to be representing my country. After Kwan (who was humble and gracious in her interviews) the athlete who's getting the most attention is Bode Miller. I realize that athletes have to be confident, and that confidence can come across as arrogance, and that you have to be nearly insane to ski downhill at the speeds they do. I get that. But on a day where Ted Ligety comes from way far behind to take gold, what's the big story? Miller got disqualified. Why? Because Miller's a hot dog who says ill-considered things to the media.
But Johnny Weir takes the cake. I hadn't really planned to watch the men's figure skating, because I'm not all that interested, but I watched it anyway, and so I managed to see Weir's profile segment, in which he managed to come off like the ultimate arrogant jackass. Yes, we get it, Johnny...you break the rules! You're a rebel! You challenge the skating establishment by wearing a CCCP sweatshirt during your interview! (Go ahead and imagine emphatic air quotes during the last few sentences.) I know they edit those things to death, and they could make Ghandi sound like an arrogant jerk if they wanted to, but man, he came off annoying. I was actually hoping he'd fall during the short program, and I've never rooted against an American athlete before.
Every Olympiad, we hear about an athlete who was inspired to take up some sport because he or she saw the Olympics on TV 8 or 12 years earlier. The Olympics on TV create the next generation of athletes, and for every one who actually makes it to the games, there are hundreds who "only" get inspired to try a new sport. We should be showcasing those athletes who embody the meaning of sportsmanship, not the ones who reinforce the "ugly American" stereotype.