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Final Thoughts!
I thought that these Olympics were absolutely fantastic. I was able to watch at least a little bit of every sport, and there was nothing I disliked. Some real highlights were:
The Sportsmanship
I've mentioned it several times, but the overall vibe was so incredibly positive. In every event that I watched people were sincerely congratulating each other, offering support (sometimes literally holding up their competition DURING the race/event!), and reacting to disappointment with good attitudes. For example, Simone Biles seemed genuinely happy for Andrade, who outshone her on the floor routine. I watched women during the street race holding up an athlete so that she wouldn't fall over, keeping her vertical until she could get to help from her team. And it was really touching to watch the triathlon teams holding hands with each other as the last member crossed the finish line and collapsed.
The Records
Some of the people breaking national, Olympic, or even world records were incredible. I watched one women's track race where literally every runner set some sort of record, including the world record. The athletes really put it all out there, and it was great to watch.
The Sense of Place
I loved the way that the city itself was a part of the games. This was particularly evident in things like the long-distance cycling and running events, where people were literally circling around the Louvre or finishing under the Eiffel Tower, as with the iconic shot of the winner of the men's cycle race. And the location itself may be responsible for a huge number of marriage proposals that took place during the games!
The Ceremonies
I know a lot of people bagged on the opening ceremony---for reasons we will not go into, but which I thought were profoundly stupid---but I really liked it. It was the first time I ever felt myself wanting to watch one of the Olympic ceremonies from start to finish. I was shocked when I realized I'd been watching for almost three hours! It was just so chock full of personality and culture, and it took risks, which is really something for such a big event. I loved the fashion show, in particular the woman with the bejeweled prosthetic legs. While the closing ceremony didn't reach quite that same level of energy, I like the imagery and the message. The only downsides for me were the American commentators who just sounded . . . stunningly ignorant, and as soon as Tom Cruise (who is slowly aging into Don Johnson?) hit the scene and it transitioned to the "Hollywood" part I just thought it became very cringey.
Overall this was a ton of fun!
I thought that these Olympics were absolutely fantastic. I was able to watch at least a little bit of every sport, and there was nothing I disliked. Some real highlights were:
The Sportsmanship
I've mentioned it several times, but the overall vibe was so incredibly positive. In every event that I watched people were sincerely congratulating each other, offering support (sometimes literally holding up their competition DURING the race/event!), and reacting to disappointment with good attitudes. For example, Simone Biles seemed genuinely happy for Andrade, who outshone her on the floor routine. I watched women during the street race holding up an athlete so that she wouldn't fall over, keeping her vertical until she could get to help from her team. And it was really touching to watch the triathlon teams holding hands with each other as the last member crossed the finish line and collapsed.
The Records
Some of the people breaking national, Olympic, or even world records were incredible. I watched one women's track race where literally every runner set some sort of record, including the world record. The athletes really put it all out there, and it was great to watch.
The Sense of Place
I loved the way that the city itself was a part of the games. This was particularly evident in things like the long-distance cycling and running events, where people were literally circling around the Louvre or finishing under the Eiffel Tower, as with the iconic shot of the winner of the men's cycle race. And the location itself may be responsible for a huge number of marriage proposals that took place during the games!
The Ceremonies
I know a lot of people bagged on the opening ceremony---for reasons we will not go into, but which I thought were profoundly stupid---but I really liked it. It was the first time I ever felt myself wanting to watch one of the Olympic ceremonies from start to finish. I was shocked when I realized I'd been watching for almost three hours! It was just so chock full of personality and culture, and it took risks, which is really something for such a big event. I loved the fashion show, in particular the woman with the bejeweled prosthetic legs. While the closing ceremony didn't reach quite that same level of energy, I like the imagery and the message. The only downsides for me were the American commentators who just sounded . . . stunningly ignorant, and as soon as Tom Cruise (who is slowly aging into Don Johnson?) hit the scene and it transitioned to the "Hollywood" part I just thought it became very cringey.
Overall this was a ton of fun!
