So the 2008 Olympics ended today. Overall, I would say that these were very exceptional Games, with great, enduring moments that will be remembered as milestones in sports. This makes for great athleticism, but, unfortunately, very few opportunities for satire.
I watched the Olympics for both the athleticism and the opportunity to find something to make fun of, but just about the only thing that came close to ridicule was beach volleyball player Misty May-Treanor - or was it her partner Kerri Walsh? - encouraging George Walker Bush to pat her on the bum, or maybe Cuban tae kwon do champion Angel Matos kicking a referee in the head and getting banned for life.
That's astonishing!
Cuba has tae kwon do champions? :-D
The United States redeemed itself somewhat, winning the gold medals in basketball (men's and women's) and men's volleyball, as well as settling for silver in water polo. And gymnasts Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson lived up to expectations. But the biggest victories belong to Michael Phelps in swimming and Usain Bolt in track and field. If you need to name two athletes who summed up Beijing in a nutshell, then by gum, they're it.
The absence of satirical opportunities, to be sure, makes me nostalgic for earlier Olympiads, where the controversies, the logistics, and the athletes all provided moments that cried to be lampooned. These Games were so straight and narrow, the only thing you got from them was appreciation for the sport!
So I bid farewell to Beijing with gratitude for the athleticism and the spirit of competition and goodwill, but with regret for the lack of sarcasm, wit, and dramatic irony. I looked for satire from the Chinese, and all they offered me was a wet lo mein noodle.
On to 2012. London calling! :-)
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