Baaaaaaaaahhh, baaaaaahhhhhh, bah bum bum bam bum!!!
We Witnessed Legends
This was the first time I'd watched the Olympics in four years (I missed Vancouver on account of preaching the Gospel in NC), and London did not disappoint. Well, they kind of did at the end but more on that in the end. As far as the sporting went, I thought it was excellent. I laughed, I cried, I held my breath, and I repeatedly spoiled the results to myself via the internet (honestly, who can wait until primetime?). There were so many great performances by so many countries, but three stuck out to me. Now, no need to flame me go into rage mode if I don't mention your favorite athlete/moment, these are just three great legends that we saw before our eyes, not even necessarily the best performances.
I'll be honest; I like beach volleyball. I used to think it was really trashy and dumb, but I thoroughly enjoyed watching the men and the women this year. I'm probably the millionth person to say this, but Misty May-Treanor and Keri Walsh-Jennings are legends. Three golds in a row? Impressive. Now throw in the fact that in this twelve year run they never lost a single game, and until London didn't lose a single set, where they dropped one to the Austrians. I'm no expert, but I'm guessing we won't see that again for a long time.
Mr. Usain Bolt once again proved that he is fastest man in the world, and also not humble about it. After winning his third gold in London, he summed up his life by saying "I am now a living legend." That would seem arrogant if it weren't so true. This guy is ridiculous. I remember before the Olympics reading about how he wouldn't be dominant this time around, but that wasn't the case. He's not so sure about Rio, but I really hope to see him back, if not for his speed just his personality and strangeness.
And for my favorite, I add my opinion to that of tons of others in saying that Michael Phelps is the greatest Olympian of all time. His first two events in London were a little disappointing for him, but the naysayers who said that Phelps was finished were definitely wrong. He rebounded to win even more golds and a silver, finishing his final medal count at 22. He is greatness. Despite what teammates have said, I say he's a great mix of freak natural talent and hard work. How many other athletes have come up big so many times in big moments? Not many. His 8 golds in 8 events in Beijing is a record that will stand for a long time, and who knows if anyone will ever touch 22 overall. So here's to you Michael Phelps, we'll miss you in Rio.
The face of a man who knows that soon he won't constantly smell like chlorine.
We Witnessed Shame
I won't dwell on it too much, but we saw the ugly side of sports in London too. There was some doping, some alleged doping, some drugs, some bickering, some cheating, and the biggest scandal to rock the great sport of badminton...ever? I'll admit my badminton history is rusty. To make a short story even shorter, the number one women's doubles duo, China's Yu Yang and Wang Xiaoli, decided that they wanted an easier seed when they inevitably reaching the knockout stage. To accomplish this, they played horrible and intentionally lost to a South Korean team. Serve after serve hit the net, as the shuttlecock sadly hit the ground, over and over again. (Side note: shuttlecock beats all other sports related items, including ball, puck, racket ect.) Their bizzare strategy was apparently contagious, as their opponents and the next teams on the court also attempted the same thing. It really doesn't make a lot of sense to me, or anyone watching, as they were eventually booed off the court (or is it pitch?).
"Say, you don't suppose they're mad because we're trying to lose do you?"
The high powers of badminton responded swiftly, and sent all four teams home. Just another sad example of winning being more important than...winning? My head hurts...
And finally...
We Witnessed A Really Disappointing Closing Ceremonies
I love British music. The big wigs of the London games had the chance to throw one legendary closing ceremonies. So naturally they capitalized on this by having Jessie J come out and sing no less than three times, two of which murdering classic Bee Gee and Queen songs. What on earth were they thinking? Once was more than enough! With all the storied history of music in the UK, why in the name of John Lennon did they have Jessie J perform three times? To sum up our position on this catastrophe, we're bringing in my favorite breakout star of the Olympics, McKayla Maroney.
Obviously she's not impressed.
Now all Jessie bashing aside, there were some good acts thrown in. I wouldn't know though because NBC managed to skip all the good ones so that they could air their groundbreaking new TV show (starring a monkey, I might add) right afterwards. Muse wrote the official song of the Olympics, an awesomely cheesy and downright spectacular anthem. I didn't hear it even once. I was excited to see them perform it live, but then they got skipped by commercials. Wow. Yeah, NBC, you're right, why would we want to see an awesome band play a really energetic rock song, the theme of the London games no less? That sounds dumb. But here's the real kicker; they skipped The Who. THE WHO!!! Legendary British rockstars on the same level as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. HOW ON EARTH COULD THEY SKIP THAT? A lot of people hated NBC for their Olympic coverage, but I had no problem until they botched the closing ceremonies by skipping my favorite bands and acting like Jessie J is the greatest performer in England's history.
Anyways, all nit-picking aside, the London games were great. I love the Olympics, and the great moments it brings us. There's kind of a special feeling during those great two weeks. I'm glad London was good enough to keep us satisfied until the winter games in that Russian city I can never remember start. See you in two years comrades!
Oh, and happy Blogsday.
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