5 Reasons to Love the Olympics, Even When You Hate Sports

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I am the opposite of a sports person. I lived in Chicago for years, and still can’t name all of the major teams; I know that the Cubs exist. I don’t watch games on TV. I was encouraged to try soccer, basketball, and cross country (truly the most horrible sport of all) by my parents, and never excelled at or enjoyed anything. But I love the Olympic Games. Summer or winter—I don’t care. While the Olympics may seem like one giant sporting event, it’s actually so much more, which makes it not only tolerable but very watchable. Here are five reasons you should tune in, even if you’re wary.

1) LGBT Olympians are representing this year.

A record number of LGBT Olympic athletes from around the globe are in Rio to compete this year. Even if you’re not the biggest sports fan, there is a whole lot of pride that comes from seeing family represent their countries. Check out the out women and men of this summer’s Olympic Games, and just try not to feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

2) A ton of the events barely seem like sports.

While I'm familiar with the band, I couldn’t tell you what was going on during an American football game to save my life. I have never tuned into a sporting event voluntarily outside of watching the Olympics. I love the Olympics because the sports barely seem like sports. Watching rhythmic gymnastics is like being at Cirque du Soleil. Watching the trampoline events is like watching a movie about flying superheroes. And then there is race walking, a sport which requires athletes to power walk to victory. It looks silly, but it's actually kind of amazing; these are not your neighborhood power walkers. Out race walker Tom Bosworth will be competing in Rio.

3) It’s more dramatic than whatever you’re binge watching on Netflix right now.
The Olympics aren’t just about athleticism. They’re also about drama. The ridiculously opulent opening ceremonies, the inspirational athlete backstories that play before major events, the snide announcers, the judges with inscrutable standards, the unexpected losses, and the unbelievable record breaking wins all add up to an incredibly high amount of drama that plays out on a world stage.

4) The uniforms are awesome.It’s not all athletic wear at the Olympics; the opening ceremony features clothing from top designers. This year, the US will go full on WASP with a Ralph Lauren collection that you can buy for yourself. When we were children, my sister and I used to decide which countries we were going to root for based on how cool their uniforms were. I still think this is a good strategy for those of us who are clueless about sports. This year I’ll be rooting for Canada, because their opening ceremony look by DSquared is amazing. Sorry, America, but I’m not into white linen shorts.

5) Babes for days.

You thought it wasn’t going to get more superficial than cool uniforms? Well you were wrong. Some people watch the Olympics for the skill and athleticism. Some people watch for the babes. Personally, I think it’s perfectly okay to watch the Olympics just to drool over Tom Daley’s beautiful abs, or bask in the glow of Nicola Adams’s glorious arms.

Why are you watching or skipping the Olympics this year? Let us know in the comments.