2-7-2014
You'll have to excuse me. I've already climbed up on my soapbox, and well, since I'm here...
Is there any chance I can hit fast forward on my DVR and just cruise right on past the Winter Olympics, and well, all the ones hereafter, regardless of country or season? I've had my fill. And it's not just because it means my favorite February TV shows will be postponed for several weeks. (Though admittedly, that plays a big role!)
Anyway, I don't think I have any desire to tune in this year.
I'm just over all of the excess. Sochi, like so many cities before it, will be transformed into an Olympic Marvel (though from the headlines it may not happen by the opening ceremony). Glitzy new stadiums and hotels and other infrastructure will replace washed out and neglected patches of the city. Billions upon billions of dollars will be spent on logistics -- How do we transport thousands of athletes, supplies, fans, etc into one compact place for two weeks? And then, how do we send them home, and clean up once the party is over? The planning effort is so massive, it takes years, and it requires the brightest minds there are to offer. In fact, one of the qualifications for Mitt Romney's presidential run was that he'd helped to oversee the Salt Lake City Olympics. The Olympics are a really, really big deal. And they are really, really complex. And they requires massive amounts of collaboration and innovation.
So here's my rub. If the world can invest so much time and interest and talent into a two-week sporting/diplomatic/political extravaganza, why can't we invest it into other things too? Can you imagine if we had an Olympic-style approach to curing cancer or AIDS, or to creating sustainable transportation, healthcare and food distribution in under-developed countries? Global cooperation that didn't require an athletic component or a Coca-Cola commercial... Wow, now that would be worth tuning in for.
Here's an example. It is estimated that the total cost for the last four Olympic Games (including Sochi) was/will be in excess of $100 billion. (Thanks Wikipedia!) The Borgen Project claims that it would cost less than one third of this total ($30 billion) to end global hunger. I love the Olympics and all, but I'd trade four Olympic Games at 66% of the bells and whistles for a billion full stomachs any day.
In a few weeks, all of the goodwill created from the winter games will be old news. Isn't it time we channel that goodwill into projects with lasting implications? Think about that when you read the USA's medal count each morning. Is that total more intriguing than sustained-global-cooperation and the creation of a better world?
Okay, I'm jumping back down from my soapbox. Unfortunately, it won't be an Olympic sport for a few more years. Plenty of time to practice I suppose.
Disclaimer: To be fair to the Olympics, there are plenty of other events that are wasteful: Super Bowls, Political Conventions, World Cup Tournaments, Royal Coronations, and on and on. Not to mention the fact that the United States allocates $600-700 billion a year to defense spending -- I'm sure there's 30 billion in there that could be shaved off for hunger or AIDS research and called "Indirect Defense." But, and this is a big but, the Super Bowl, World Cup, nor any of the other events mentioned are happening this week. Honestly, if I would have written this last post week, perhaps the NFL would have caught my ire. Sorry Olympics, just bad timing.
