HTT - Olympics Edition

So, did you hear? NBC used computer-generated graphics to look like a live fireworks display during the opening ceremony of the Olympics. Apparently, Beijing is so smoggy that there's no way the fireworks could have been captured by aerial cameras. But, oh yeah, they didn't tell us it was fake. (Or to avoid Beijing if you have asthma.)

And while this trickery is pure Milli Vanilli to me, I think NBC thinks it's totally OK. After all, the opening ceremony cost $300 million dollars. (That's 2,061,119,985.5700 yuan for you finance geeks out there. Hi Dad.) So they had to show an aerial view, even if it was from a computer in New Jersey.

That's OK, because it just represents what I hate about the Olympics - that it's an inaccurate gauge of athleticism, because it's ultimately about ratings and not raw talent. (Though I do love the water sports. I was once a synchronized swimming coach. Seriously.)

I mean, Beijing is a smoggy city. And some of the athletes are doping and/or 10 years old. And some of the judges are not being fair. Also, sometimes you feel embarrassed by some of the outfits, but you pretend like it's normal for men to wear short-shorts because you're at a friend's house, and she makes a mean chili-cheese dip.

But instead of exposes on Olympic failings, you get some 30-minute, overly dramatized bit about how the athlete overcame an ingrown toenail to participate. And while some of the athletes have great stories, it's overkill to me. Let's face it, while they have faced some human adversities, the only thing that makes them remarkable is that they have no life besides their sport.

I feel bad for some of the athletes. While winning gold medals is infinitely cooler than what I plan to do today - park? pool? - it's an overwhelming obsession for them that keeps them from accomplishing some of life's less notable, but more fulfilling goals. And what about the guy who places seventh? He's still seventh in the world, yet he goes home feeling like a loser.

But I'm still rooting for Michael Phelps, even though I generally hate dominant athletes. It's, like, give another dude a chance!

Anyway ... are you watching the Olympics?

What do you like/dislike?

Have you considered a career in table tennis?

Go.