Eds. Note: Sports reporter John Huggenvik and editor Scott Swanson are debating which are the better Olympic games: summer or winter.
Scott: Both the summer and winter Olympics are fun, but overall, the summer games are more exciting than the winter Olympics. With the summer Olympics, you have track events, gymnastics, basketball, swimming, diving, tennis, etc. The summer Olympics also have more recognizable names, such as Michael Phelps and Carly Patterson, who were American heroes from the 2004 Athens games.
John: Recognizable names don’t make the summer Olympics that great. The winter Olympics are full of names that are recognizable, especially if you are from Minnesota. Krissy Wendell, Natalie Darwitz and Lindsey Kildow are just a couple of Minnesota natives competing in this year’s games. And what makes a person a hero—winning? I think downhill skier Lindsey Kildow gutting it out is far more heroic than Phelps slaughtering the field as expected. The winter Olympics have just as many names and they also have the games that more people are interested in.
Scott: I disagree on that point. The winter Olympics may have the games that more Minnesotans are interested in, but as far as the whole country is concerned, there is more interest in the summer games. The winter Olympics are full of winter sports that a big part of the nation doesn’t participate in at the level that Americans participate in the summer events. For example, just about every high school in the nation has track, swimming, tennis, soccer, gymnastics, volleyball and basketball teams. All seven of these sports are summer Olympic events. Try naming a few of the winter Olympic events that are available in the majority of high schools throughout the nation.
The winter sports are more obscure while the summer sports are more common, and in turn, the summer games garner more interest.
John: However, two of the most popular American high school sports—baseball and softball—are going to be left out of the summer Olympics starting with 2012. So how does popularity in the United States mean popularity in the world? The Olympics are about the world stage, and the winter Olympic sports are only obscure to Americans who think that basketball is the be-all-end-all winter activity (remember basketball is a summer sport so that is doesn’t conflict with the NBA). Americans have already lost interest in ice hockey because the American team is terrible when compared with the rest of the world. There are a couple sports in the winter Olympics that could be left out (snowboarding), but that would level the playing field too much for the United States.
Scott: Actually, in the last 20 years basketball has become one of the most popular sports in the world. I have a hard time believing that many members from any country in the world consider curling or speed skating the be-all-end-all winter activity. In fact, on a worldwide level, I’m sure basketball is more popular than any of the winter Olympic events.
As long as we’re are talking about worldwide following, you might want to consider these facts about the 2004 summer Olympics—11,099 athletes competed in the Athens summer games from 202 countries. Compare this to the 2002 winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, where just 2,399 athletes competed from a mere 77 countries. The bottom line is that the summer Olympics don’t just feature the more popular sports as far as the United States is concerned, they contain the more popular sports on a global level.
John: Don’t knock curling, it is 300 years older than basketball and is way harder than you would ever think. The larger participation can be attributed to the number of sports.
There are more events to participate in during the summer Olympics because, face it, you can run anywhere (or jump, throw, play basketball or soccer).
The winter Olympics are contained to countries where the climate encourages participation at a young age because Olympic athletes begin early in life. The winter Olympics are just as, if not more, interesting than the summer Olympics.There are just fewer people around the world that understand them because many people have never been introduced to winter sports.
Scott: That’s a good point. Most countries of the world don’t have the chance to participate in winter sports because they don’t have the right climate, whereas the majority of countries are able to compete in the summer events.
Now, as opposed to looking from the standpoint of the world, let’s take a look from our viewpoint, the spectators watching at home. Gymnastics are a summer event that is extremely exciting to watch. America fell in love with Carly Patterson in Athens when she took home the all-around gold. I watched it, and I’ll admit, it was riveting. Sure, it’s no World Series or Rose Bowl, but watching Carly compete in those final events and capture the gold kept me on the edge of my seat.
John: Men’s hockey is by far the best event of the winter Olympics. We are too young, but if we asked our parents, they would all say the 1980 United States team that captured the entire world’s attention in a unlikely race for the gold medal was one of the best teams of all time. Those kids weren’t the best by any measure of the word, but they worked together. They worked hard and they won the greatest David vs. Goliath battle since the original. That game became more than a game between the Soviets and the Americans, it became a release from all the really bad things that were happening at home and a game Americans could be proud of for decades.
Scott: The 1980 U.S. hockey team accomplished quite a feat, but what about what Jesse Owens did at the 1936 summer games in Berlin? Both Olympic games will appeal to different viewers, but there is no doubt that they both attract viewers from all over the globe.
Have any ideas for Jibber-Jabber? E-mail them to SDSwanso3092@winona.edu