Greatest Olympian

[Carolina Kiltman]

The Olympics, originally, were tests of skills that made for superior soldiers! They competed in the nude, and it is entirely possibly that at least a goodly share of the audience had no idea of which city state they represented. I have problems with some of the sports in the mix, but what is the true purpose? Where I have the biggest problem is with the jingoism that surrounds so much of who wins how many medals. That is not supposed to be the purpose, or is it?

[TheKiltedWonder]

The Olympics, originally, were tests of skills that made for superior soldiers! They competed in the nude, and it is entirely possibly that at least a goodly share of the audience had no idea of which city state they represented. I have problems with some of the sports in the mix, but what is the true purpose? Where I have the biggest problem is with the jingoism that surrounds so much of who wins how many medals. That is not supposed to be the purpose, or is it?

Didn't you know that the more medals your country has, the better its system of government? I thought that was common knowledge!

What I like about the Olympics is that they give athletes of less-marketed sports a moment in the sun, their fans a chance to watch them in prime-time, and us outsiders a chance to watch sports with huge followings in other countries that are unheard of here.
How many people follow swimming year-round? Outside of Australia I suspect there are very few. Or keep up with the results of a handball league? Discounting Germans and some Eastern Europeans the answer is, once again, very few.

I don't see anything wrong with competitions on a nation-by-nation basis. I think most spectators can cheer on the talent of all the athletes regardless of nationality. Look at the chinese basketball fans cheering on Kobe and the like, or Phelp's press around the world and so on.