OLYMPICS POLITICS - Earl Hutchinson has a very cynical take on the glorious Olympics. He decries their hypocrisies about race, class and politics and believes they are driven by money and power. I would love to say that I have a more nuanced position on the Olympics, but I really don't. Truthfully, I merely have a more contradictory position.
Yes, Earl is right on all counts— and there is still more to any indictment of Olympic leadership.
They have been elitist, racist and have sold out to the highest bidders--from host cities to sponsors. They have betrayed the amateur ideal (which was elitist from the get go) and have asserted despotic control over the use of the word Olympic, (It's a miracle that we in LA have an Olympic Blvd. That wouldn't happen today). They have fought to protect all their symbols but not their substance or the ideals of the Games. The Olympic Games are simply a business.
And yet, every four years, when the Sumer Games come along, I tune in. I enjoy the competition and the excellence of performance. Yes, I know there is cheating--and over 100 athletes have already been sent home for drugs. Still, watching them go faster and higher every four years attracts me--despite myself. It's a guilty pleasure.
Even some of the nationalism that Earl decries I have found to be both moving and memorable. The American victory over the Soviet Union in hockey, the "Blood in the Water" victory of Hungary over the Soviet Union in 1956 after the USSR crushed the Hungarian Revolt are memorable for me.
The courage of individual athletes competing while hurt or in mourning, the raw emotions of winners and losers and the closing ceremonies when the nations come in together, all touch my morally inconsistent and conflicted heart.
(Jonathan Dobrer is an op-ed contributor to the Daily News and Friendly Fire and is a syndicated columnist. This column was posted first at Friendly Fire. More on Jonathan and his books at www.Dobrer.com) –cw
CityWatch
Vol 10 Issue 60
Pub: July 27, 2012
