Olympic Thoughts

I've been following the Olympics on an occasional basis, perhaps watching a total of about 10 hours to date. So far, things have been interesting: gymnastics surprises and controversy, basketball disappointments, and swimming heroics. It's also been successful from the standpoint that there hasn't been a sniff of terrorism, so far.

The Olympics, however, are an excellent stage for political gamesmanship.

I've always wondered about the way the media provides us with the "medal count" or the "medal tracker" which inevitably breaks down the total medals won by country. As if the success of sport can be measured by the number of accolades that can be won for the country. It seems to me that medal counts ensure that the Olympics will not rid itself of the sense that it is a small battle in a struggle of nation against nation.

Are the Olympics a unifying event? I grant that it provides an opportunity for national pride, certainly Americans will not forget the Miracle on Ice, Mary Lou Retton or Mark Spitz. But at what cost? Are the Olympics merely a chance for nations to flaunt their power? Hitler tried in 1936 to make a political statement at the worldwide games, are the nation states of today guilty of a similar crime, albeit smaller in scale?