The question of how social media affected my enjoyment of the 2012 Olympics is easy to answer: Not much at all.
I’m on Facebook because that’s how our family shares photos and generic news, and I use LinkedIn to stay in touch with people I’ve worked with over the years, but that’s it. I’m not on Twitter or any other sites. I use Outlook for my email, so I was even able to avoid the spoiler headlines on my provider’s home page. Social media just isn’t where I find my news. (Can you say dinosaur?)
We do enjoy the Olympics, though. We aren’t crazy about all the events, but we have our favorites. We’ve been to two overseas Summer Olympics (Athens and Beijing), and one Winter Olympics (Nagano.) This time, we stayed home for a variety of reasons, and we watched our share of coverage.
Let’s face it, though, nothing beats the excitement of going to the games in person. You don’t get slo-mo or instant replays, but you get the moment.
You live it all in real time, without commercial interruption. You see the the full performances of athletes from every country. You don’t get distracting commentary. You see the scores and times posted right along with the athletes. You get to your feet to applaud the winners. You sing your national anthem when your athletes get the gold.
How could Twitter possibly improve on that?
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This post is in response to a WordPress Writing Challenge on the topic Mind the Gap: Olympic Coverage. To learn more about the challenge and see some other entries, click here.
The Retiring Sort 
I enjoyed your take on this exercise and mine was quite different. I enjoyed the Olympics this year because I had so many options on how/when to connect… It was exhilarating. 🙂
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Thanks- I enjoyed yours, too! Actually, my favorite part of the Olympics this year was watching Rhythmic Gymnastics and Synchronized Swimming with my 6-1/2 year old granddaughter – she was completely captivated!!
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I missed most of the Synchronized Swimming because I fell asleep. 😆 But what I saw was pretty amazing in both. I can understand your grandkid loving them… truly amazing.
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Well stated!
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Thank you! 😉 And thanks for the visit!
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Well said! I’m not much of a sports person, but turn into one when I’m watching it live(I ve been to a couple of cricket matches) and nothing like cheering your team and screaming hoarse in person!
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Absolutely! Even the Queen cheers on her horses at the races! It really is fun to get caught up in the moment – and at the Olympics, everyone is in such high spirits you jut can’t avoid it! Thanks for the visit!
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I’ve been to baseball games – not really a fair comparison but – and thought, “Hey this would be better at home.”. Everybody looks too small 🙂 and I can’t zoom in on the athletes chomping on sunflower seeds in the dug out (and what all else they are doing in there – ugh). So baseball on tv is for me. Although I do indulge in a game or two when I can swing it. The Olymics? That’s another story. I would love to be able to see that up close and personal. You are very lucky 🙂 Another plan for the money I’ll win in the lottery 😀
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No doubt about it, the Olympics is a different kind of experience, with such a melting pot of athletes and audience! The crowds are almost as much fun as the events! You have a few years to plan for Rio!
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Yes, so true – sometimes the commentating really takes away from the moment. And the dinousar thing was funny ahahah I’m actually just the same, FB for same reasons and no twitter yet. Depending on social media for coverage is…I guess easier? But like you said, being there is completely different. All those moments you wrote – seeing the score, hearing your anthem – they must have been so special, there’s no way the internet can give you those emotions. (In Spain the coverage is godawful – only their athletes, and only about 3 days of track and field. They showed no boxing, no women’s tennis, you start to think women don’t play any sports haha)
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Thanks – I appreciate your comments! It is a shame that the media in each country favors its own athletes.
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Yeah it’s too bad, but I guess that’s how it’ll be. It’s good of course to encourage your country’s athletes, but sometimes they go overboard. And you’re welcome, I really like your blog, it reminds me very much of my grandmother and all the things I wish she could be doing. So thank you too!
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I’m so glad you stopped by 🙂
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I agree! I’d love to be there and see it all live… someday….
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I hope you get there! Glad you stopped by.
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