Or if you look at it like a regular person, this is a two-week event where we allow a world leader to toss a blanket over myriad human rights issues by building a bunch of to-be useless stadiums and turning a previously burgeoning resort town into the country’s most glaring target for terrorism. It has enabled a dick measuring contest for one of the most obnoxious and dangerous world leaders and the rest of the Earth.
Remember, Vladimir Putin built an $8.7 billion road because he bought off the IOC so he could gloat and feign tolerance as a PSA for his corrupt country.
NBC paid for the rights to air this stuff — and to largely ignore all of the throwing-gays-in-prison stuff, so they can remain in good stead with the IOC. Why? They want the Olympics on their network every two years. It’s the best advertising platform they have. Sure, they’ll whiff on the occasional Animal Practice, but they sure as hell won’t whiff on the new Late Night and Tonight Show they’re launching in the next month.
That’s unchecked greed, corruption and political posturing blended into one big TV advertising event, topped off with pet causes and — oh look! — a special celebrity appearance in the American bobsled.
What I just described is a two-week celebration of the worst things on Earth.
We’re all going to watch them either way. More than 190 million people watched the last Winter Olympics. It was the second-most watched Olympics ever. They are unmissable water cooler fodder. This isn’t a cold turkey situation. You can’t just stop watching them and remain a social adult.
But what if the Winter Olympics are entirely bullshit?
Read more: Are The Winter Olympics Actually Totally Bullshit? – Esquire