With the opening ceremony set to happen tonight in Brazil, I am excited to witness the world come together for this event. After watching many specials on the Olympics recently, it has, however, left a sour taste in my mouth. The world event that I once viewed as extraordinary and breathtaking has some deep, dark secrets. We are only shown what they want us to see. With so much destruction and terror going on in the world, I did not want to focus an entire article on the devastation occurring in Brazil, but I think some things need to be said:

There's been a lot of negativity leading up to the 2016 Rio Olympics, between the Zika virus forcing many athletes to withdrawal their participation and other sewage issues contaminating the Guanabara Bay, to the behind-the-scene affects of the stadium construction on Brazilian natives. It has been really hard to watch all of the destruction it has caused in this already impoverished and struggling nation.

There have been many false promises given to the host nation in regards to getting the sewage issue fixed before the Olympics. Raw sewage has been running through many communities for over a year now, leaving people sick and diseased. The Zika virus has infected over 100,000 Brazilians in recent months, with many of the eradication efforts by authorities proving to be unsuccessful. Building new stadiums and facilities has forced people into homelessness or even death. Police would raid communities after they were warned to leave. The villages were crushed to be replaced with monumental stadiums. Sometimes in this rubble would be dead bodies -- no exaggeration.

Brazil will likely spend nearly $4.6 billion dollars to host the Olympics when everything is said and done. Government officials have already announced the country to be in a "state of financial emergency," yet they were chosen to host the event. They are willing to spend an absurd amount of money in order to make the Olympic administration happy and satisfied, but are willing to do so at the expense of their own people. A recorded 11 people died during construction, but I'm sure the number is much more. When you've giant stadiums and arenas being built with children playing in the streets, living in shacks, and struggling to eat a meal less than a mile away, it just doesn't make sense.

The Olympics brings a lot of beauty to these host countries, but it also creates a lot of heartbreak as well. I feel for these people, and really hope that the Olympics help them in the long run. That's what the organization's main goal is supposed to be: they want to bring the world peace and unity through sport and to help the host countries prosper... but it isn't always the end result. With the beauty and intrigue that Brazil has always offered, you would think that the Olympic games would bring in many fans from all over the world. But I don't see that being the case this year with everything going on. The world is filled with fear of the Zika virus and the crime rates in the host country. There are just too many risks. Maybe I'm wrong; we have to be optimistic, right?

Don't get me wrong, I am extremely sickened by the reality of what is and has been occurring in Brazil. But with all of that being said, overall, I think the Olympics is just what the world needs right now. Sure, it's a distraction from all of the horrible events that have plagued the world recently, but it offers an escape for a short time. The United States has been in turmoil for quite some time now, from politics to race issues and everything in between. Other countries have been dealing with that and much worse. I think we all need something to root for again!