7 Reasons Why This Non-Sporty Broad is Fangirling Over the Olympics

Me and sports are two things that seldom cross paths.  I can't play any sports worth a crap and besides a 2 year period where I was obsessed with catching every Diamondbacks game....the extent of my sport fandom is low, low, low.  I leave that to my husband....he cares enough for both of us.  Yet here I am rushing home from work as fast as I can to catch the Olympics. The channel on my TV has not been changed from NBC since the opening ceremonies and my Netflix and Hulu accounts are having the longest break ever since they were first activated.  So why does a girl like me who normally doesn't give sports the time of day actually LOVE the Olympics? Well I've got 7 reasons for you......

1. Novelty 

Birthdays and Christmas are awesome because they come once a year right?  Well the Olympics are only every 2 years and you have to wait 4 years to see that particular kind again.  To keep me interested in sports it needs to feel novel and not beat to death.  I was telling my sisters last football season (or couch season as we call it in my house) that Carrie Underwood should really consider changing those lyrics to the NFL theme song.

  "Sunday Night" my ass. Lies.  Try EVERY NIGHT.  There's Sunday, Thursday, Monday....then when you factor in College football you have Saturday.  Ugh! Too much!!  Too much for me.  Every 2-4years is right up my alley

2. It's Short & Sweet

This one goes along with #1 because they both relate to my attention span issues.  I can hardly sit through a movie...so you can imagine how sports would be a struggle for me.  First of all, the Olympics only last 2 weeks period, so while I maybe full blown into it and rushing home to watch....it's a 2 week max obsession instead of 4 days a week for months on end.  I just can't commit to more than that.  Nope.

And then the events themselves are also short and sweet.  How I ever used to sit and watch a 3 hour baseball game day after ever lovin day is BEYOND me.  Swimming and gymnastic for example, a heat can be just a couple minutes or even less depending on the event.  You can watch an hour of it and see soooo much!  The stop and start, stop and start of football KILLS me.  At least basketball keeps moving....but I need the instant gratification that I get from Olympic events. It all gets wrapped up in neatly a matter of minutes and moves on to the next thing.

And for the longer events I like to watch, like say cycling, they cut back and forth to it all day long.  Perfect for an ADD human like myself 

3. Passion

I'm gonna get all Gouda on you here....but I enjoy the passion that comes with the Olympics versus regular sports.  Most of the sports aren't mainstream and while they may have Wold Championships and such, they don't get a lot of attention.  The Olympics are the event they are working towards and they only get that opportunity every 4 years.  You can see and feel how much it means to each of the athletes and I love that! 

Aly Raisman and her holy crap, happy tears!

 That is why I really have very little interest in the Basketball events.  Like take Kevin Durant for example, he might be pumped to be there repping his coutry.....but we all know this isn't his main career goal.  This is for a lack of better words just something to do in the off season but not something he has been working towards for years on end. It just doesn't have the same feel so I skip it all together

4. Nostalgia

Nostalgia plays a big part into why I love the Olympics so much.  When I was little we would be stuck in the house all summer with absolutely NOTHING to do....so when the Olympics came on we had something fun to focus on and I would watch it all day long.  I was that girl who would put on her swimsuit and pretend to be a gymnast in the living room.  I got really into my role and no routine was complete without my hands on my hips, heaving breathing, waiting for my score.  Once I got it I would shake my head with little emotion on my face and sit down for a swig of water.  Man it was fun!! 

5. Sportsmanship

To me sportsmanship should also apply to the fans. Anybody else think that Sundays on Facebook during football season is the WORST place to be?  Ugh!  I mean there is gentle razzing and a few funny comments here and there....and then there is just plain effing annoying.  I hate it.  People can get so crazy and it' stupid.  At least with the Olympics we are almost all rooting for the same team and even if you aren't or somebody else wins....I haven't come across a huge amount of shit talking.  I'll take that any day over the stupid comments people insist on making.  That might be fun for some people but it certainly isn't for me 

Now for the athlete portion of it....I can't stand the entitlement, cockiness, and overall douche factor that seems to plague mainstream sports.  That's not to say that ALL of them are like that....but enough to turn me off from it in general.  I attribute it to their celebrity status, giant salaries, and constant exposure.  Athletes (actors, singers....you name  it) may all go into it for the love of the craft, but once huge fame and money hits I feel like the ego takes over.  They are no longer humble and relatable and I'm not into that at all.  

Most Olympians don't make much money, and even those who do (like Michael Phelps) don't get a huge amount of exposure 24/7.  He might be a legend and a household name, but I think the fact that he isn't on TV multiple days a week for months on end lends itself well to an overall better attitude and presence. I will always root for the kind and humble over the cocky and entitled.  I admire those who prove that you can be great at what you do without being an asshole.

Douchey

Awesome!

 

It also gets me right in the feels when I see the athletes congratulating each other.  Most if it seems pretty genuine.  There's no forced high five....you actually see them go out of their way to go over and shake a hand or give a hug.  We could all benefit from being more like that

6.  It All Counts!

I am what most people would probably refer to as a "bandwagon fan"  So freakin be it!  Again, I don't have the attention span to watch a bunch of stuff that doesn't feel important.  My interest is only peaked when I feel like it counts.  Now, I'm not bandwagon in the sense that I will suddenly become  a team from Colorado's biggest fan ever once they make it far......but if an Arizona team (or a team somebody in my family follows) makes it to the playoffs you can't deny the excitement.  

The great part about the Olympics is it all counts!  It's like watching the Playoffs or Superbowl for 2 weeks.  It's basically either a semi final or final so it all feels important.

Last but not least......

7. It's Themey

I'm a theme freak!  To me everything is better with a theme....and the Olympics play straight into that.  I'm slacking now.....but I have a future vision.  I imagine myself as "that mom" whose house is decorated (inside and out) like it's the 4th of July.  I want to bake USA themed cookies and cupcakes and theme our meals around a different country on different nights.  Someday this will come to fruition.....check back in 4-6 years.  :)

There ya have it.....the reasons why I'm fangirling over the Olympics.  Off to watch some track....