A Privileged Games

I've always been a fan of the olympic season. There's something about an opening ceremony that makes you feel connected to the world. Nightly broadcasts provide a type of entertainment that feels worthwhile. These are events I should be watching; I'm not wasting my time on this couch in front of this television. There's something about the risk at play when the results of 4 years of waiting and training boil down to but a few minutes. One slip on the ice and better luck in 2014, sucka! Lastly, Bob Costas. It don't matter how absurd the event, tack on the man's voice and instantly I take things serious.

But I've realized something about these Winter games. They are a games of privilege. Virtually every sport featured is a sport accessible to only a select few. Not only must you have access to snow or ice, you must have access to funds for gear, training, and the time to train. How does one learn to triple axel without skates, years of paid training and access to a rink? How does one learn to speed down slopes without affluent folks who got their kids on skis early in life? How the hell do I get into bobsledding if I were even interested in trying it out!? I watch curling and wonder how large a pool of players exists who participate regularly in such a sport. I catch Shaun White's game-changing run with a mouth agape, but then consider... the man grew up in La Jolla and has an effin' halfpipe in his own backyard.

Granted, events during the summer games require equipment and access to training too. But these are events whose access spans a globe. Further, all you need is two feet to run a 400 or a marathon. Excerpts on NBC revealing the stories of our American winter athletes. Every athlete seems to be have well-off background. I look at the skin tones of our American olympians and notice a pattern. I didn't see this in Beijing 08.

Just a thought, my friends. Plus, I'm trying to get myself back into the blogging mode. Name a US athlete from Oakland, CA and maybe I'll reconsider.