I am a huge fan of the Olympics, both winter and summer. I'm not much of an athlete, but I love watching the myriad of sports with such talented athletes competing. It gives me hope that one day I'll be good at a sport of some kind that's not the sport of academia. Anyway, the Olympics is amazing and can be appreciated by people of all ages across all regions of the world.
Here's why you should take a break from your busy life and watch the 2018 Winter Olympics:
1. Pyeongchang is beautiful.
Pyeongchang, South Korea is a winter wonderland. The Winter Olympic resort built specifically for the 2018 winter Olympics is every skier’s fantasy, with the winding black diamond-level slopes carved into the side of a mountain. It is simply architecturally and aesthetically beautiful.
2. It gives you a chance to see sports that you don’t normally see on TV.
Normally we watch football, soccer, and basketball on TV. But once every four years, you get to see the weirdest winter sports broadcasted live. Skeleton, Curling, and Biathlon (a combination of cross-country skiing and rifle shooting) are a few of the sports you can watch instead of the typical Americana sports.
3. Figure skating is the BOMB.
I’ve been watching the figure skating national championships and Olympic trials for days on end. The beauty of figure skating and ice dancing is incomprehensible to someone like me who can’t even stand on ice skates. The figure skaters glide across the ice with grace, artistry, and technical prowess. Everyone must watch figure skating!!
4. It gives us a sense of national pride.
For the past year, our country has been quite divided. The wonderful thing about the Olympics is that it brings the country together for a common cause. We all can support the American athletes, with politics and negativity on the back burner. During the weeks of the Olympics, we have more pride in our country and are supportive of all people in our nation.
5. The Olympics brings the world together.
Yes, I know what you’re thinking. The world is brought together PHYSICALLY during the Olympics because they're all in one location. Everyone is not singing “Kumbaya” by the campfire because we all suddenly agree with each other.
However, even though it may be for a brief time, the world is in a peaceful state during the Olympics. All the countries of the world come together in one place (except for North Korea for obvious reasons and Russia because they are banned due to doping). For a few days, the world is cheering for its favorite athletes.
The world, for a short time, is not fighting. We are only fighting for a spot on a podium, not fighting with guns and bombs. This small glimpse of peace comes every four years. Don’t miss it on February 8th.
