Olympic Pressure

I am a huge fan of the Olympics, I think they are fun to watch and it gives you something new to talk about with your friends for a couple weeks. However, I am not a fan Canada putting all this pressure on their athletes!

I just turned on the tv to channel surf and the first commercial I saw was for hockey. The announcer said at the end "Crosby and team have the weight of a nation on their shoulders. A win, their only option." SERIOUSLY? I mean, I know the loss to the US was dissapointing, but didn't they regain themselves with the 8-2 win over Germany last night? I mean, I understand that losing sucks, epically since hockey is Canada's Sport, but the weight of the Nation? Imagine if you were on that team and you lost? How crappy would you feel? Geez, I felt bad losing games in tournaments when I played basketball in high school, let alone the Olympics!! As for "Crosby and the team"... Why put all the pressure on Crosby? Yes, he is an excellent player and does very well but it is a Canadian team. Not Crosby and the other players. Canadian Team. The old cliche of "win as a team, lose as a team" needs to be placed here not "Crosby wins the game, Crosby loses the game." (Although I do know they didn't say that, it's how I feel they are saying it all...)

And what about that poor girl who felt like she let her country down? Um, excuse me at least you made it to the Olympics! Which is more than everyone else who is judging her can say! I think going to the Olympics makes you a winner just because you are obvioulsy kick-ass enough to get there!

However, I think I am getting a little too into the Olympics, since I am already convinced the Women's Curling Team is going to take the gold. After all, they do have Cheryl Bernard :) Which is basically the problem, we get too drawn into these games, it should bring a country together to cheer on and support our best athletes, not place "the weight of the Nation on their shoulders". But the thing is, I'm not going to have a huge hissy fit it the curling team loses, so they lose? Whatever, they made it to the semi-finals which is more than a lot of people can say. I am proud of them for playing their best and making it that far.

Seriously Canada, stop putting all this pressure on the athletes. They are obviously trying hard, and should not feel like they let their country down if they lose! At least they made it that far!