Gold Mettle

Seeing as the whole world is blogging about the 2004 edition of the Olympics, I figured I'd throw my hat in the ring as well. 2 cents worth at least.

At the very beginning of the games, I wasn't very interested. I mean, the Olympics are only every 4 years, but there was nothing really exciting about it, nothing to look forward to. However, after a few days, watching some preliminary events and seeing the fanfare, I'm fully enthralled by the majesty of the games. It's fascinating to watch these people compete for something they've been training for their entire lives, and in some cases, will still be training for. The feats of athleticism each day are amazing, and although due to the internet, I know most of the outcomes before they're televised, I'm still nervous watching some of the events.

As a matter of national pride, the Olympics have been very good to the United States. The teams themselves started pretty slow, but looking at the latest Medal Count, things have been going much better than I could have anticipated. Each time one of the Americans takes to the podium, one can't help but be swept up in the strains of the National Anthem, especially when the athletes themselves are so openly emotional on the international stage.

There are a few disappointing aspects of the games though. First of all, the fact that there is no US team competing in baseball is very disturbing, considering the sport is supposed to be our National Pastime. Another point is that our basketball team isn't competing like a team at all, which may or may not be due to the current attitude of certain superstars in the NBA. Also, in a few other sports, some of the Americans appear to be under-performing or at least not achieving their potential. It's not altogether disappointing though, because it means that the world is really a global village and with the games being more competitive, they're also more entertaining.

Only a few days are left in these games and after that, these athletes will take their medals, honor, and whatever inspiration they've gained and either train, go pro, or retire from their competitive lives. There will always be memories though.

For some of those memories, check out the photo galleries on these sites:

LA Times (registration required)
Fox Sports
ESPN
San Francisco Chronicle