I love the Olympics.
The athleticism, the tricks, the suspense…it’s an uplifting time for the world. We put aside the conflicts and just enjoy some healthy competition.
But there are some differences for the 2018 Winter Olympics:
Who misses Bob Costas?
Me!
Costas chose to step down from his NBC gig, and Mike Tirico took over.
Tirico was the first recipient of the Bob Costas Scholarship at Syracuse, so it’s a nice full circle.
I grew up watching Costas; I can’t help but feel like something is missing this year. I especially miss all the interviews Costas did with big-time USA athletes.
I have no doubt that Tirico will come into his own; he seems pretty confident in this ability. It’ll just take time.
Cool moments, fewer medals
As I’ve been watching, I keep thinking about how the USA doesn’t seem to be a big focus. And I wasn’t wrong.
Usually, the highest number of medals go to USA, Russia and China. This year, Russia is out, but some Russian athletes are still competing, representing the OAR.
But so far, Germany and Norway are winning more. The USA hasn’t even received 10 gold medals yet.
Not an impressive number for the USA. But we still got to see some amazing USA moments.
You could feel the adrenaline when Shaun White was competing in the halfpipe. He redeemed himself, coming out with his third gold in the event.
And Nathan Chen? What a comeback. He didn’t medal, but watching him nail 5 out of an attempted 6 quads was insanely impressive.
And for those who prefer more romance…
The Bachelor franchise strikes again.
The Bachelor Winter Games was a four-part event series where Bachelor/Bachelorette contestants from all over the world “compete” in Olympic-esque competitions.
The series even including The Bachelor National Anthem. I wish I was kidding.
It’s definitely not the finest TV ever, but it’s certainly entertaining, in an awkward and kind of sad way. (One judged “event” was a kissing showcase in front of former Bachelorettes and Arie, the current Bachelor.)
And hey, I guess you have to give people credit for being willing to fall on their face for 15 minutes of fame. And watching it can make for a good workout.