Growing Into the Olympics

Is it just me or is everyone watching the Olympics this year? Maybe I just don't remember because a lot has happened in the last four years, but I feel like I and pretty much everyone I knew snoozed through the last two Olympics in Sydney and Athens, respectively.

But, Becky and I can't get enough of them this year. Since 8/8/2008, I have found it harder and harder to wake up in the morning, as we have been staying up later and later the nights before watching gymnastics, swimming, rowing, and pretty much any sport we would otherwise never watch. (Last night, for example, I found myself enthralled by trampoline)

I've been thinking about why we and so many people we know are so into them this year. First, I thought it had to do with NBC and how they spent three and a half of the four years since Athens hyping the Games. But, no; they always do that; probably to cover the ridiculous mortgage they put on their company to broadcast them.

Then, I figured it has to do with China because of how unique it is as a country; populous, communist, authoritarian, ancient, respected, feared, and controversial. I noticed that early in the Games everyone was obsessed with the prowess of China and how advanced it was portraying itself. People were actually in awe and even I, myself, felt a little intimidated. But, this very quickly disintegrated into a sort of jealous, mean-spirited mockery, whether it was regarding the questionable age of some of the gymnasts and/or the conditions to which the performers at the Opening Ceremonies may or may not have been exposed. But even this phenomenon doesn't totally explain why my close friends and I have a new-found obsession with these Olympic Games.

But, it dawned on me last night during the intense trampoline finals: we are all four years older. Since 2004, our responsibilities have increased at work and at home, our nights have gotten earlier, and our bartabs have gotten smaller. Keeping the Games on until midnight constitutes a late night, where in 2004 I might have caught 3am skeet shooting while drunkenly wolfing down a cheesesteak from Mario's. As we unwind from our chaotic days, we find it easy to sink into bed and into the spirit fuelled by a hefty dose of John Williams' kettle-drum-infused theme song. Whether it's by the water cooler or over gazpacho at a downtown Stamford restaurant, the Olympics makes for great conversation with friends who live by routines similar to your own.

I don't look at this as a bad thing, something to regret, or as a sign that my best days are behind me. I see this as simply another chapter in this great story called "Growing Up". So, enjoy the Olympics. Who knows what the story will be in 2012.