Go Go Go Sochi

What does $50 billion buy you? Apparently, it buys you this:

Yes, the Sochi Olympics are underway in Russia and controversy and corruption is giving way, slowly but surely to the results on the slopes and the ice- which is more or less as it should be, I think, but the clouds that have hovered over international sporting events like the Olympics and The World Cup are still there and growing and the idea that maybe the costs are too high and the benefits too few are only to grow from here on out- especially when the Olympic Committee courts controversy by going ahead with these Olympics in the wake of Russia passing those disgusting anti-gay laws.

I mean I get it:  if done right, there's a lot of national prestige that can boost a country in a somewhat intangible way- and a smaller, more micro level, the cities themselves, if they're smart can upgrade their infrastructure and reap the benefits for years.  But, especially for the Olympics, there's a legacy of white elephants being left behind- venues crumbling into dust and growing weeds.

So is it worth it anymore?  The short answer I can come up with is:  maybe.  I can think of a few cities in the United States that, if they used their existing sports infrastructure creatively enough could probably do a decent job of hosting the Olympics.   I liked that a lot of the venues at London were either temporary (like the beach volleyball at the Horse Guards) or were scaled down or even moved elsewhere in the country to communities that could use things like a swimming pool.

But have the larger messages of things like The Olympics or The World Cup been lost?  Should those more metaphorical, abstract notions even matter?  I mean, let's not kid ourselves:  this shit costs money and money means sponsors and this means money for sponsors so they can run a shit ton of ads during the games.  The idea of athletes all over the world  coming together in peace and harmony for some friendly competition gets frayed a little.   But that's the thing about ideals, I suppose:  if you can't keep striving to achieve them, they sort of cease to be ideals.  You always want to be looking for ways to do it better.

So, going forward:  I think it's time for the IOC to reassess it's mission, it's values and the way it does business.   Some things went awry with these games, it's obvious- but the problems of cost and empty seats will only to continue to fester if the IOC fails to address them.  I don't know if a decentralization of the games would help- but the emphasis needs to be on sports that matter to people- this fiasco with wrestling being dropped in favor of something idiotic should never have happened- and there needs to be an effort made to make sure everybody can afford to go see something if they want too.   The distance between the Olympic Games and the rest of the world/it's viewers has grown to wide.  They should try to close the gap.

In the meantime, there are plenty of horror stories from journalists to snicker at- though it's worth noting that a large chunk of the rest of the world doesn't flush their TP either, so it's not as bizarre or horrifying as people think.   NBC still doesn't get this 'broadcasting the Olympics thing.'  (Hint:  it should all stream live on the internet, for free, without needing an account through an ISP/cable company.   Individual events should be able to watched, a la Hulu whenever we like.  And of course, you can broadcast all you want on the many channels in the NBC family of networks.  And yes, it should be broadcast LIVE.  It's idiotic that the Opening Ceremony was tape delayed.)