By Tammy Vela
Every four years, athletes from all over the world get together for a show of patriotic sport. These athletes selflessly train for the beauty of competition alone, for the glory of hard work and national pride.
The Olympic Games.
Oh,wait...I guess the Games are bit different to what they were when most of us were growing up. First of all, they're every two years now, since the decision to split the Winter Games and Summer Games to consecutive even-numbered years to provide more sponsorship money. Oh - and professional athletes are allowed to compete now, so I suppose it's not so selfless an endeavor as it once was, since there's money involved.
And - I do hate to be churlish, but are the Olympics really what they once were, now that it's not Them - by Them, of course, I mean the Communists - against Us? And by Us, of course, I mean the Good Guys. Sure, there are still Bad Guys out there, but none of them (small 'T') compares athletically to what They were, back in the day.
Still, it's hard not to get all fired up when the Olympic Games begin. First of all, there's a lot of pomp, and really - who doesn't like pomp? It's not like there's a lot of it in our everyday lives. Hardly anybody blows a trumpet fanfare when I burst off the elevator to show up at work in the morning, and very rarely do heads of state gather in bunting-laden stadiums to shout my glories when I make my 100-yard dash through the drive-through at Burger King.
Secondly, all the athletes are pretty good. By pretty good I mean much better than the guys at the YMCA that I play basketball with on Saturday mornings. As for the women - the gymnasts are much well, bendier, than most of the women I've come in contact with, and the swimmers look like they could carry groceries in themselves when I'm trying to watch the game on ESPN, thank you very much.
And third - there is that whole issue of national pride. Yes, we pretty much know now that we can kick the collective poo out of just about any nation on the planet with military force, but how about in rhythmic gymnastics or dressage? It may just be that we have a little something to learn when it comes to tossing a ball over our heads and catching it with our feet, and when it comes right down to it, isn't that just as heart-warming as anything you'd see on the Oxygen television network?
Last but not least, there's always the chance that there will be some cockle-toasting moment when some underdog either wins or doesn't win. They'll have worked really hard to get there and really aren't up to the level of competition, and they'll win or they'll lose really badly, and either way the network will play their story to the tune of Wind beneath my Wings and admit it - if you've had a beer or two, you're very likely to get all choked up.
Okay, I confess - I love the Olympics. You get to see another country's version of what glory and honor are. In Japan, they sang songs about the day that children ruled the world (which was a little odd because some of the athletes were definitely not children), and in Australia, they really touted the glories of the aborigines and the prisoners who got transported there to colonize it. I don't know much about China beyond what I read about lead paint in children's toys, but I've got to guess that a country of more than a billion people is going to put on one heck of an amazing show.
And this is a banner Olympics! Thanks to the invention of the DVR, I no longer have to call in sick for two weeks to squeeze in every minute of Olympic-watching glory available into my brain. I can go to work for the two weeks starting August 8, 2008, and then I'll have other people with whom to discuss, debate, and reenact the Games.
I don't happen to work in a place where I can wear a USA baseball cap or T-shirt. As such, I have my handy collection of America-touting cufflinks available to show my colors. I have flag cufflinks - either actual replicas of Old Glory or abstract (dare I say "artistic"?) renderings of the Stars and Stripes. I also have my Uncle Sam cufflinks, and a number of pairs that represent various sports. In short, I am ready to epitomize all that is great about the United States and this amazing competition.
Not only will the cufflinks add a stylish note to my already dapper ensembles, they bring my cuffs together in a spirit of unity. Just like the Olympic Games themselves.
Whether your interests are in silver, gold, artistic, sports, or other theme-related cufflinks we've got you covered. Cufflink Aficionado carries a broad range of mens cufflinks designed to meet each connoisseur's individual style and interest. Our selection of patriotic cuff links are sure to top off that perfect look.
Source:www.isnare.com |
