Most people find what I'm about to admit very hard to believe, but I feel that I need to make this admission anyway. I grew up playing sports. I played a sport at the collegiate level. I currently work in sports. I'm a fan of certain teams and sports at various levels of play. Knowing all that, I must admit that I am not a fan of the Olympics. (Let that sink in before you continue.) With that knowledge, what I'm about to say, may be a slightly touchy subject.
It's not that I don't enjoy watching the Olympics. I'm not going to go out of my way or schedule my day around watching them. The main thing I don't like about the Olympics, and the World Cup for that matter*, are the people who dislike sports year round but become huge fans during the Olympics. People, like my boyfriend, who aren't into hockey, but all of a sudden this morning I see multiple people discussing Olympic hockey on social media as if they are huge fans. (Side note: I LOVE hockey.) Some of these people are making comments that show they don't know anything about hockey, but bless their hearts, they are going to offer their thoughts as if they do. (Example, my boyfriend) This happens every time the Olympics and World Cup roll around. People who admit to not liking sports, some of the same sports that they are watching during the Olympics, will adjust their schedules to be home to watch these sports. This isn't just an Olympic issue, it happens during the World Cup every year. One of my old roommates, who admits to not really liking soccer, will wake up at whatever time the US is playing in the World Cup to watch the game and will all of a sudden become a soccer expert and cheer as if her citizenship depended on it.
I wish the people who have this crazy love for sports during the Olympics and World Cup would have the same crazy love for these sports and their athletes year round. If you are only going to become a "fan" during events such as the Olympics and World Cup, then please just be honest about what you are looking for in these events. What you're really looking for is US domination via athletics.
*Note: This rant could also apply to any major sporting event. I have attended many a Super Bowl party and not cheered because the Saints weren't in it. I've enjoyed the company and the food. I've only cheered for a team besides the Saints when I was at a party and none of us had a dog in the fight so we drew teams to root for and losers had to buy dinner for the winners. Under terms like that, this random cheering is acceptable.
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