Simply Put- "The Olympics"

8/14/08
By: Clint Cox

Like many of you I have been enjoying the 2008 Summer Olympics from Beijing China. We’ve already seen some great stories from the Americans like the men’s gymnastics team and the individual performance of swimmer Michael Phelps. I am sure there are more great stories and finishes to unfold over the remainder of the Olympics.
Like so many things in life though, at least in my life, the Olympics of today just don’t hold the same pizzazz as the Olympics of days gone by. I can remember being a young child and being glued to the TV to find out the latest winners and medal totals (always hoping that we were ahead of the dreaded Russians). The earliest Olympics that I can recall were the 1968 Olympics in Mexico. Then there were the 1972 Olympics in Munich. Unfortunately my most vivid memory of those Olympics was the hostage taking and killing of members of the Israeli Olympic team by Palestinian terrorists. While I was much too young to understand the complexities of the Middle East, I was older enough to realize that the 1972 Olympics would be forever associated with that terrible act. Swimmer Mark Spitz set the high water mark that year, winning 7 Gold medals.
In 1976 14 year old Nadia Comaneci thrilled the world by scoring a perfect 10 in gymnastics, eventually earning a total of seven. And for many, the proudest moment in American sports history came in 1980 at Lake Placid when the U.S. hockey team upset the heavily favored Soviet Union.
With the onset of adulthood I guess other things began to occupy my time and interest. I guess it’s that way with many things. Most of us feel that the music of our youth was the best music that has ever been.
Ask any generation and they will proclaim the music of their youth the best. So maybe the Olympics are the same. Maybe the Olympics of our youth are the best that has ever been. I think another factor involves television. In my youth the sports that we saw on TV (all 3 channels) was primarily limited to a few events on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. When the Olympics came around it meant that we had sports on TV every night. It was special. Then came ESPN and other all sports channels. And now we have the internet to get our sports fix anytime we want. We are so saturated in today’s world with sports that I just don’t think the Olympics hold quite the same place as they once did.
All that said though, the Olympics are still special. As I write this column Phelps is going for an Olympic record 10th Gold medal. And I suspect there are some kids out there watching his performance that in 30 years will tell their kids about the great Olympian Michael Phelps. Simply Put, there is nothing like the memories of our youth.

From the front porch: Coach said sweat plus sacrifice equals success.