Photo by shimelle, Flickr Creative Commons
By the time that the tape-delayed Olympics opening ceremonies hit the the West Coast, it seemed like all the joy would be gone. All day long, I had tried to avoid spoilers, coming from friends around the world. Yet Facebook teased me with snippets that sounded bizarre in status form: Daniel Craig and J.K. Rowling, the coming of the Industrial Revolution and a giant baby. Huh?
In the end, it didn’t matter what I’d already read. I laughed at Mr. Bean, sighed over David Beckham (seriously, could Britain have a better looking ambassador?) and wondered if the Queen was cranky or merely keeping a stiff upper lip. I ignored Matt Lauer and Meredith Viera’s inane commentary (seriously, could the U.S. have sillier sounding announcers? Oh wait. Forgot about Seacrest). And I settled in for my favorite part of Olympic opening ceremonies, the Parade of Nations.
Photo by Nick J. Webb, Flickr Creative Commons
I remember watching these processions as a kid, marveling at what I saw then as exotic costumes. As an adult, you watch the procession with a different viewpoint. Now that I’ve seen some of the world – 50 countries and counting – the march into the stadium becomes even more interesting. There’s a thrill with seeing women compete from Saudi Arabia, even as they must walk behind their male counterparts. There’s the happiness that even the smallest delegations – one from the small island of Nauru, two from remote Bhutan, – show as they wave their flags.
(And there’s the fashion choices that still give me pause, days later. Why did the Czech team wear blue Wonder Woman boots? Who thought the Germans would look good in child-like pink and sky blue? How is it that the Spanish can pull off even the ugliest outfits?)
The more I travel, the more that I get out of the Olympics. It becomes less about Team USA and more about seeing the elite from around the world perform. You root for athletes because you’ve visited and enjoyed their country, eaten their food and learned about their history. You’re a global fan, not a parochial one – which makes sense, as their dreams of personal achievement are universal.
Photo by oneillsdc5, Flickr Creative Commons
When you travel, your social networks expand. Your Facebook and Twitter feeds are active 24/7, because you know people around the world. And that’s what NBC, with its throwback pre-packaged coverage, doesn’t understand. It’s not just that people want to watch the games live, instead of in prime time. It’s that they want the best stories, about the best athletes, no matter how small or remote the country might be. Social media has opened the world to us. You can’t squish it down into an America-centric narrative.
I’ll continue to watch these next few weeks, both in prime time and live streaming. But NBC won’t be my only source, the US my only viewpoint. I’ll be scanning Twitter for news in real-time, searching for Olympic results that speak to me, no matter where the athletes are from. Most people I know, those who share my love of travel and tech, will be doing the same. Networks, take note.
Are you watching the Olympics? What do you think?
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
We watched the Opening Ceremony with NO commentary. That’s probably why we (mostly) enjoyed it.
A smart way to do it! I’m actually interested in what the announcers say, as it does provide a look into what the media thinks Americans want. The disconnect that’s been brought on by social media is VERY interesting.
I watched the opening ceremony in real time with the Canadian commentary and I thought they did a pretty good job. I have been watching NBC a bit though and when the commentators talk about events like diving I was watching the other day the US divers could do no wrong but they found flaws in everyone else’s dives and when they were given good scores they wondered why?haha Oh well
Like you I also watch them as a person of the world and not just my country, its fun to watch!
I have a feeling that the Canadian commentators aren’t quite as nationalistic as NBC. It would be interesting to see!
It’s interesting to read an American – and travel – perspective on this. As a British nation, we love sporting heroes but nationalism and patriotism is a complicated subject in the UK. So while we love the British victories, we also love those who excel and we mentally adopt them and root for them. From yesteryear, a couple spring to mind in Jamaica’s Merlene Ottey and the US’s Michael Johnson. So much so that the British commentators became excited for them in races and Michael Johnson even does stints for the BBC, now. We love him.
We’re with you on that one though; the countries you visit that have resonated with you in some way, you root for them. And what better showcase then the Olympics as a stage for sporting excellence. Love it all!
Julia
Julia – Such an interesting perspective! I love hearing how other countries process the Olympics and their reactions to outstanding athletes. Thanks for sharing. And yes, we’ve been watching every night. It gets addictive!
I’m so glad you wrote this! It’s strange — for the first time ever I watched the parade thinking that same thing, that I had so much more understanding of the countries, the costumes, the characteristics of the people… And I had to watch it the next day on DVR, so I could fast-forward Matt and Meredith when they got too bad. I was so embarrassed by their monotone, ridiculous comments.
I’ve been really enjoying following the 2012 Olympics. I’ve been following Travel and Escape’s coverage since they have a writer there covering the events. I would rather follow the Olympics via Twitter, Facebook, Bloggers/Vloggers. I find it to be a more intimate experience. Check it out: http://www.travelandescape.ca/tag/olympics-in-london/
Welcome to the Twitter Olympics and watch the site go into meltdown!
{ 1 trackback }