Putting the Olympics in Perspective

The Olympic PR machine must be revving itself up. This morning's National Post contains a lengthy feature detailing the torch relay; yesterday driving in Ontario I heard a Bay ad focusing totally on their Olympic involvement (more on that in a moment); and driving to the airport last night, the debate on Prime Time Sports regarded who should be selected to light the flame at the opening ceremonies. Lest what follows be misinterpreted, let me provide a few caveats first.

- The Olympic games have always been a highlight sporting event on our family calender where, for a few weeks every other year, we follow reasonably closely, usually ending up on the bandwagon of a previously unknown Canadian who is doing surprisingly well in some sport whose rules we barely understand. While the routines of life continue and we try not to get too carried away, we quite consciously suspend our usual limits on television watching in order to take in this bi-annual spectacle. I fully expect to continue in that pattern from February 12-28, 2010 and given Calgary's timezone proximity to Vancouver, this will be a project made a bit more convenient than usual.

- I am fully aware that the history of the Olympics is intertwined with religion but my assessment of the modern games is that the primary religion involved is commercialism and secular pride. I have little idealism about the "amateur" nature of this competition and frankly, am skeptical about the technical distinctions made between amateur and professional. But when I watch these athletes compete, I don't think too much of this. I enjoy watching their accomplishments, respect the dedication and work they have put into their trade, and get a thrill out of watching the intensity and drama of competition, riding the emotional waves of victory and defeat.

- My concerns about the Olympics are very different in character than those described in the post article, which describes the anti-Olympic movement as "a mix of aboriginal rights activists, environmentalists, anarchists and anti-poverty, anticapitalist, anti-globalization and anti-war groups." I am not part of an anti-Olympic movement nor does my concern have to do with anything of their thinking.

So, having armed myself with all these caveats, what prompts this post?

The Bay radio ad (which I heard only once while driving and cannot find an on-line link in order to refresh my memory) consists of a female voice narrating the long association of the Bay with the Olympic movement and amounted to a message of "Buy at the the Bay because we are the official store of the Olympics." What I found striking, however, was the almost religious identity appeal that was being made. The virtues of the Olympics were cited and implicit message was, "Of course, if you share an appreciation of these virtues, you will buy from us." The appeal had almost religious overtones and identity feel about it.

The round-table discussion on Primetime was a thoughtful one in which the various possible criteria and the social significance of this choice were debated. It led me to reflect on the social need we have for heroes and that what gives the Olympics social power and influence is the unique mix of nationalism (we root for our flag), athleticism (we all can identify with faster, stronger, higher at some level), and celebrity (the fact that the entire world is watching and this is a global stage; hence not to participate is to mark oneself as an unsophisticate or social illiterate.) The marketing folks have this figured out well and so the Olympic rings remain a powerful marketing tool, even though many events of recent years have given cause to tarnish it.

When I watch the Olympics, I am not conscious of this. I get caught up in the heat of the moment, excited that the Canadian Joe Smith, who has worked so incredibly hard to get here and overcome such obstacles, is going to round the track or land his ski jump 1/100 second faster than the Swedish Lars Smith, whose story is really just as compelling but isn't told to me with the same patriotic spin. (To confirm this point, I realize that watching the Olympics on American channels does not provide me the same rush as watching it on Canadian channels - a clear sign that the maple leaf cheer leading is an essential part of the appeal.)

Haven't really thought about this too much before but as the Olympic PR machine does it thing, it may be interesting to reflect on the role these games play in our collective lives. What are the appeals of this event? How this has changed / is it changing over time? Do these appeals amount to an attempt to elevate the games into a new role (or perhaps reverting to an old one), namely that of a secular religious festival?