Like many of you I've managed to keep up with a few of the Olympic events despite NBC's appalling coverage. Swimming and gymnastics are among the most popular sports for U.S audiences, and these events are all the more compelling this time around because because of a few breakthrough personalities and hot bodies.
Regardless of how you feel about Ryan Lochte's corny "ice grill", you have to admit he's a total cutie. The surprising defeat Phelps suffered earlier this week, and the record-breaking comeback is the stuff American classics are made of. If you never had an interest in fencing before, the courageous and dignified protest by Shin A-Lam, the slighted South Korean fencer who was cheated out of her shot for the gold medal, would make anyone take a second look.
I remember watching the Magnificent Seven with awe during the 1996 Olympics. Graceful, powerful sprites bursting through the air in such a unique display of athleticism. And who can forget Strug's one-legged vault to victory? Cliche as this may sound, the gymnastics team initially caught my eye because of Dominique Dawes. It was, and still is, rare to find people of African descent in sports outside of soccer, American football, track & field, and basketball. I don't follow any particular sport with dedication but there is something to be said, beyond the overplayed race/genetics argument, about who plays what sport, why, and what that means. Every four years, the Olympics becomes an international platform for a variety of discussions.
16 years later, with the digital age in full swing, a young gymnast from Virginia reminds me of what I felt while watching the Atlanta games in 1996. Curiosity. Excitement. Gabby Douglas has an infectious smile, a warm demeanor, and a look of quiet determination. She is a part of a compelling team of young gymnast dubbed "The Fab Five". And as of this moment, Douglas and her teammates are gold medalist. Douglas went on to win an individual gold medal, much to the disappointment of the Russian silver and bronze medalist. She is the first African American to worthy of the all-around gymnast title.
If you do an Internet search on Gabby right now, among the articles detailing her victory, you'll find a number of articles focusing on her hair. I don't straighten my hair so perhaps I don't have an eye for imperfectly laid hair. Sometimes I wonder if people focus on something so trivial, because it's far easier to have pseudo intellectual debates about what's on your head as opposed to what's in it.
