Between the US Women's soccer team and their bruised knees and all the politics and the covid theater... I dunno. I just feel like the Olympics are dead to me. I'll be honest, I've never been a big sports guy (aside from sport shooting, that is) but what little love I had evaporated a long time ago with the introduction of political correctness, politics, etc. But even before that, I always considered major sports to be Nero's fiddle.
Let me explain.
I have a friend who could tell you the name of every New England Patriot, not just today but throughout history. Like Rain man, he can tell you every stat about every player and every game. He easily has a quarter million dollars worth of souvenirs and memorabilia. Jerseys, signed balls, framed tickets, posters, coats, hats, you name it. I couldn't list all of it if I tried.
Yet he doesn't know the name of our town selectman. He doesn't know our state reps or senators. He barely knows who the president is.
Now, being an true conservative, I'm okay with all of that. Hell, it's your right to be completely ignorant of... well, just about everything except sports. BUT! All he does is complain about the way things are, taxes, rights being trampled, and so forth. Now, you might think that's a good thing. You're probably saying to yourself, "Well, maybe he votes conservative". Wrong. We live in Massachusetts. He votes democrat across the board, without even reading the names, let alone doing research.
How can this happen, you wonder?
Easy. He comes from a long line of liberals, and he was always taught from a young age to just shut up, question nothing, and vote democrat. That's it. So that's what he does. Try as I might to change him, I don't think he'll ever change. This is why I'm the black sheep in my family. I too come from a long line of liberals. However, once I hit the age of reason (and discovered an interest in firearms), every single person in my family had the same attitude: "Don't ask questions, just shut up and vote democrat".
As time went on and I got older, I took offense to being told not to ask questions and to just accept what I was told. So I began to resist. The more I rebelled (as my mother put it) the harder they tried, and the vicious cycle continued. Eventually, I became the family pariah. To this day, I speak to none of my relatives. Even my own mother.
But long before that, despite my general distaste for organized sports, I do remember being a young child and enjoying the Olympics in the 80s with my mother. There was a certain magic to them, particularly the winter Olympics (but I did enjoy summer moments, like Mary Lou Retton's gold medal). My mother made a big deal of the opening and closing ceremonies, and we had little parties, and we enjoyed rooting on team USA in various events. It was a good time.
As time went on, the Olympics lost more and more of their magic. Maybe it's just me getting older, maybe it was the disconnect from my mother... but it just doesn't feel the same. The best way I can describe it is having a real Christmas tree replaced with an artificial one (and not a good one).
I just wanted to see if anyone else felt the same way, or if it's just me.
Either way, I don't care about the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHA, or even the Olympics. It's all Nero's fiddle, and people like my friend shut out the real world around them and enjoy their fiddle while the world burns around them, and I am not okay with that.
