Olympics - Jumped the Shark?

Is it just me or has the Olympics jumped the shark?  No one seems to be into them this year.

Is it the weather?  Although you would think that all this snow and ice would put us in the mood to watch the skiing and skating?  Plus we're inside more anyway.

Is it the overall decline in big screen television watching?  Maybe, but all the events are available to view from any screen we've got.  The hosts are certainly not helping; they're a bit painful to bear.

Is it the every other year timing?  Now that we alternate the Olympics every other year, are they just too close together to be special anymore?

Or is it Russia?  Has the drama around Russia overshadowed the games themselves and caused us to tune out?

It might be all of the above, actually.  The Olympics have become background noise ... a layer of activity that's always on but it just sits in the background as we go about our lives.  Sure it's on the tv at the bar we go to for a drink or we have it on at home while we multi-task or we click in and out to read the headlines, but we're not really paying attention anymore.

I used to love watching the Olympics.

Folks that were complete unknowns going into the games would come out as huge heroes.  The very few would get a huge "moment in time" ... a glorious victory that they'd worked toward for their whole lives.  The almost "instant" celebrity would extend when they "came home" and made the talk show circuit and then get endorsement deals.  It was exciting to watch them achieve the success they so richly deserve.  It was a huge win for the sponsorship brands as well.

It just doesn't feel that way anymore, and it's a little sad, don't you think?

What's your experience?  JIM.

Since I'm writing this on "Throwback Thursday," here's a little ditty from Whitney Houston that sums up the feeling ... the theme song from an Olympics from back in the day .... "One Moment in Time."