2016 Rio Olympics

              For the past two and a half weeks my TV viewing has consisted mostly of sports, all because of the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.  I think I watched something of the Olympics every single day they were held.  Mostly this can be blamed on tennis and gymnastics, which were the two sports I watched the most.  Tennis had its own channel, but gymnastics was shown along with many other events.  This was how I ended up seeing so many different sports.  As I waited for the gymnastics segments to air, I would frequently watch athletes compete in swimming, beach volleyball, and track and field, to name a few.  No matter what happened to be on my screen, I had a great time watching it.  Each event was suspenseful because who the winner would be was never a guarantee.  There were favorites, of course, but there was always the chance there could be an upset.  That’s what’s so great about the Olympics.  No matter who you are or where you come from, everyone who competes has a chance to win. 

                These chances were clearly shown in the tennis competition, and that’s just with air time.  Since I watch tennis throughout the year, I know who gets the airtime and who doesn’t.  With the Olympics, I was finally able to see people play who I hardly ever get to see.  An example of this is Thomaz Bellucci.  His name is one I have seen for years, but I doubt I’ve ever seen him play more than once.  Jack Sock is another player who’s name I often see but hardly ever get to watch.  He may have lost in the Men’s Singles tournament, but I was able to watch him play doubles.  He won medals in both men’s and mixed doubles, hopefully leading to more air time in the future.  The same hope goes for Juan Martin Del Potro.  For years I have wondered why his matches were not shown more.  That’s why it was so exciting for me to see his matches during the Olympics aired on a fairly regular basis.  Then to have him win the silver medal, that made it even better.

                I must say that I did not watch as many of the matches on the women’s side.  Mostly I saw Madison Keys, who I am happy to see is doing well.  I did, however, watch the women’s final.  When Mónica Puig won, I was so happy for her.  I think I’ve only watched her play once before, so it was great to have my first true introduction to Ms. Puig being her winning the gold medal, the first for her country.      

                Gymnastics is the second sport I really searched out to watch.  Unfortunately, I did not get to see as much as I would have liked.  All the coverage was pretaped, so unlike live, it could be aired whenever the broadcasters decided.  This meant there was a lot I did not get to see.  The men were hardly on at all.  I know the American men did not win the medals the American women did, but I still would have liked to see them compete in all of their events.  There were other men from other countries who did win and I would have loved to see their routines.  The sad thing is, even when an American man did win a medal, I was not able to see it.  Alexander Naddour won a bronze medal in the pommel horse and I don’t believe his routine ever aired.  When Danell Leyva won the silver in parallel bars it was aired, which is great, but it would have been nice to see all the other competitions as well.

                The women, on the other hand, got a lot of air time.  I even got to see some competitors that were not from the U.S.  It was thrilling to watch all these women compete.  Having never taken gymnastics myself, I really don’t know how they do what they do.  It’s fascinating though, and I loved watching each and every routine. 

                The other two sports I strongly looked for was diving and rhythmic gymnastics.  I must say, those were not always easy to find.  Rhythmic gymnastics could be especially difficult.  Fortunately, I was able to find some and I enjoyed every minute.

                   With all the enjoyment I experienced during the 2016 Rio Olympics, I was really sad to see them end. Not only was everything great fun to watch, but there was also such good feeling surrounding the events and the Olympics as a whole. Successes and positivity dominated the headlines. Hard work and determination won over money and bluster. People were honored for what they actually accomplished, not what was falsely promised. The Olympics made for a good two and a half weeks, and with the headlines of anger and hate I know will soon come, I really wish the Olympics could last through November.