The Sayer and the Namer

Today is a cool day. Not only is it 8-8-08, but it's also the opening ceremony for the Olympics! I'm an Olympic games junkie - I absolutely love them! I love it that we automatically have people to root for, even if we don't know anything about them or anything about the sport (fencing or badminton, anyone? How about trampoline or synchronized swimming?) The opening ceremonies are incredible to watch when all of the nations come together in celebration and the athletes parade in, representing their land and their people, full of hope and pride. I cry when NBC does the special interest stories on our athletes, complete with sad music, about the lifelong training and dedication these people have had for their sport. National pride wells up inside me when our guys/girls win the gold and our national anthem is played, the whole nine yards. Am I being overly dramatic? Yes. But that's what the Olympics are all about, and I'm happy to buy into the drama every two years.

In my Olympic fervor, I've unearthed a little bit of fun Olympic trivia! Upon doing a little research on the Olympics, I learned that the ancient Olympic games were reserved exclusively for men, and that the men competed naked. Huh? The historian (from National Geographic, so he's got cred) said that it was partially due to the heat, but also because the Olympic games were a tribute to the achievements of the human body. Remember the Seinfeld episode where Jerry and George distinguish the difference between "good" naked and "bad" naked? That's exactly what came to mind as I read about the naked Olympics. I'm sure the athletes had fantastic bodies, just as I'm sure that they do today, but that doesn't mean that we want to see them compete naked. Naked men running track? That's definitely "bad" naked. Naked women playing ping-pong? Funny, but still "bad" naked!

I'll be glued to the TV watching our clothed athletes win it up for the USA!