Friday, February 17, 2006

Olympic Snobbery

I've been watching some of the Olympics here and there. I've also been reading some of the critics who over and over suggest that the snowboarding events aren't true sports or that the participants are all slackers or somehow unworthy of being considered atheletes. They seem convinced that snowboarding is indicative of a particular lifestyle that is somehow inconsistent with serious sports.

Nothing I have seen this week provides any justification for such snobbery. As one of the critics grudgingly admitted, they're just as proud and shed just as many tears on the medal podium as the National Anthem plays as their counterparts in other sports. I've seen them work just as hard for their medals as anyone else. I'd like to see Bode Miller or John Weir run four or more events in a single day like Seth Wescott.

The camaradarie and sportsmanship they display is impressive. In the snowboardcross finals the second-place racer, just barely edged out for first place, wrapped the winner in a big bear hug. All the competitors usually exchange handshakes or hugs at the bottom, even those who got bumped off the course by others.

It's ironic that athletes in a sport known for nonconformists should so soundly embrace conformity when it matters. But if there is one area where they are not conforming to convention, it would be this: They seem to be having a lot of fun.

To twist a quote from the movie "I.Q.": So this is what we are missing in Olympics. Screaming!

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