My two cents
By Ross Markman
Please don't think I'm not a sports fan or less of an American, but for some reason, I can't stand the Olympics.
Especially the winter variety.
Whether its figure skating, bobsledding or curling, nothing bores me more than to flip on the TV and catch a glimpse of someone hurling themselves down a mountain or executing a perfect triple axle.
I used to like watching the luge.
That love affair lasted a whole day.
I used to not mind the snowboarding competition, but I'd rather watch the X-Games.
Maybe I'm nuts.
Maybe there's some synapse missing in my brain or perhaps I wasn't hugged as a kid.
Whatever it is, I just can't get into the Olympic spirit.
Not even the highlights.
What about the figure skating medal scandal, you ask? Isn't that great drama?
Well, it ain't Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding. Now, there was some Olympic controversy.
And what about Jimmy Shea, the 19-year-old guy who captured gold in the skeleton, an event that comes right after coating your body in chum and swimming with sharks in Webster's definition of insane.
Sorry, still not into it.
I'll take the NFL or college hoops or even congressional debates on C-SPAN any day.
What about hockey, you ask? Many players are from the NHL, so you have to like that.
Nope. It screws up the whole season.
Guys competing in the Olympics almost always wear down by season's end. And besides, I don't want to see professional athletes compete in games intended for amateurs. I want to see the unheard-of guy from Havre or Oshkosh or Duluth.
And what's with this curling thing? It looks like glorified dusting.
Granted, they're dusting with a 42-pound stone, as it's called, so I guess this is a sport and they are athletes. I would never dispute that.
But where's the thrill in watching it?
It's about exciting as watching grass grow.
If it were up to me, the Olympics would be once a decade.
Enough of athletes going for their third and fourth golds. I want to see different people on that medal stand.
I'm curious if I'm in the minority. It seems most people I speak with have caught at least one Olympic event.
I have no desire to.
I've even taken the two channels airing the games off my TV's favorites list. And when "SportsCenter" switches to Olympic coverage, that's when my remote thumb gets the most exercise.
I see headlines in newspapers every day.
"Electrifying tie."
"Wild finish."
"Memorable day."
I just want it to end.
I'd like to be able to turn on the TV or open a newspaper or have a conversation without having to hear, "Hey, did you see that gripping pairs figure skating competition last night?"
Perhaps it all goes back to my dislike of the cold weather. But I doubt it.
I don't like the summer Olympics either.
