The Winter Olympics have their opening ceremonies tonight, and that means we’re just days away from the most important competitive event in the history of the world. I refer, of course, to Olympic curling. This year, the U.S. women’s team will be trying to improve on their disappointing finish in Torino, when they failed to qualify for the semis. Meanwhile, the U.S. men’s team will be trying to improve on their fantastic third-place showing in 2006. As in ’06, the men’s team is made up entirely of Minnesotans, and the Land of 10,000 Lakes is hoping for gold this year, which, in true Minnesota fashion, we will share with the other 49 states because, hey, you might like to see the gold medals too, and we don’t like to be greedy.
Curling is one of those sports that the Olympics was made for. Nobody is going pro at curling. Nobody’s going to get a huge endorsement deal out of it. At best, the men and women competing in Vancouver will get a brief moment of national recognition before they go back to their day jobs.
Well, I for one will be backing Team USA all the way, and in honor of Team McCormick and Team Shuster, here’s Jonathan Coulton’s ode to chess on ice.
There’s the issue however of the used indian territory the olympics are being held on:
http://amleft.blogspot.com/2010_02_01_amleft_archive.html#3457039671693882931
Curling can be played with a beer in one hand and a cigarette hanging out of your mouth (or at least that’s how my family in rural Quebec did it when they dragged me to the rink throughout my childhood.) I think it’s awesome that it’s an Olympic sport.
Well… curlers don’t make big money or win sponsorships in America.
Canada, well, we’re a little different. If you’re a curler, you definitely do get sponsorships, and if you are a very good curler, you appear in TV ads and win decent money. It’s kind of why we’re so good at it.