I’ve grown into the same sentiment as Chris Bellavita:
I’ve had the fortune to participate in or observe security operations for six Olympiads. Based mostly on that experience, I’m not a fan of the Olympic Games.
The Olympics are a circus that comes to town for a little while, selling promises and dreams. It helps separate people from their money, then packs up the tents and moves on to the next stop.
Now he has quite a different personal perspective, being directly involved in security for many Olympiads. But just as someone interested in great competition the games for me have devolved into an addendum to spectacle, celebrity, and corporatism.
This year, NBC’s misguided, but highly successful, broadcast strategy caused me nary a concern, victim of my newfound television withdrawal. Never felt better. There was a minor reflexive twitch when I heard about the US Women’s Soccer National Team go into overtime against Canada, but I got over it.