Every 4 years, countries come together in the name of sports. These athletes represent the countries they’re from and they are truly the best of the best. All the competitors in the Olympics are the best in their field. They are the best, runners, divers, gymnasts, swimmers… the list goes on. These are the athletes that set records and dedicate their lives to training..

Whenever it’s an Olympic year, a country hosts the Olympics and millions of people come from all over the world to experience it and television stations cut and change air times to show the Olympics, some channels literally show the Olympics 24/7. Our society rejoices in the Olympics and it gets the most news coverage and publicity.

But maybe it shouldn’t.

Sports have been the downfall of our society. Every year millions of people become obsessed with sports like baseball, basketball, and football. These national sports leagues make billions and trillions of dollars off of viewers. We are a society that has become so absorbed in sports; we are willing to pay the price.

I am a huge fan of football specifically and I spend plenty of money on tickets and merch, but every time the Olympics rolls around, I find myself unenthused. The Olympics is all hype. All I see and hear on the media during Olympics season is, the Olympics. The Olympics and other sports have become such an essential part of our society that we forget what really matters.

Many countries have the opportunity to host an Olympic event. Right now, the Olympics are being hosted in Rio. Since the Olympics is such a big deal, people are willing to risk their lives to go out of their way, fans and athletes alike, to attend the Olympics no matter where they are being held. Some of these countries could have dangerous civil relations that athletes and fans are putting themselves into. Other countries carry deathly viruses and diseases endangering the health of the people who don’t already live in the country.

When the Olympics are on, the news focuses on Olympic events 24/7, pushing aside other, seemingly less relevant, news stories. While everyone is focusing on the Olympics, people are missing out on major stories going on in their own countries.

Countries would live everything to have the honor of hosting the Olympics. Hosting the Olympics brings in a lot of wealth to the places hosting it. Rio, where the Olympics are this year, is a very poor country. The athletes and fans travel there for the events and are forced to stay and compete in very poor conditions.

Though the Olympics are very exciting and entertaining to watch, we cannot lose sight of what is important. Instead of absorbing ourselves in sports, we should pay attention to our own country and local news and events, not just sports.