I don't care about a lot of the sports, but for 2 weeks every 4 years I become a big fan of volleyball. I'm rooting very hard for the U.S. men's team which is playing through tragedy as their coach's father-in-law was killed in Beijing.
I enjoyed watching fencing and badminton. I've seen a few table tennis matches and marvel at the speed and spin on the ball.
I like the swimming and gymnastics, but track and field is more enjoyable to me.
I love the dominant beach volleyball team of Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor, and their biggest fan.
But the beach volleyball match between Georgia and Russia isn't quite what it was cracked up to be. The matchup was billed as everything right about the Olympics; countries putting aside differences and coming together in the spirit of competition. But the Georgian team of Cristine Saka and and Andrezza Rtvelo is actually made up of two mercenaries from Brazil. The only thing Georgian about them is those made up names. Their real names are Cristine Santana and Andrezza Chagas. But no Georgian is complaining about having Rtvelo on their side.
The U.S. has some interesting pairs of teammates. Cox (Stephanie) and Boxx (Shannon) go together perfectly for the women's soccer team. Definitely a little better than U.S. sprinters Gay (Tyson) and Dix (Walter).
But those aren't my favorite names of the Games. I prefer Japanese volleyball player Yoshie Takeshita, whose jersey I'm sure would be a great seller.
The ladies love Australian boxer Brad Pitt.
But I like Israeli swimmer Nimrod Shapira Bar-Ar. In fact, interest in Nimrod was so high that Israeli journalists covered the swimming events. Michael Phelps was the big story so one Israeli paper put its own spin on Phelps's accomplishments, using this headline after the incredible 4X100 meter freestyle relay: "Two Jews and a Black Man Help Phelps Fulfill Olympic Dream."
Other than Phelps, the biggest U.S. star of these games is gymnast Nastia Liukin. A lot was made of her close relationship with her father a former gold medal winner for the former Soviet Union. But this picture of celebration after she won the all-around gold medal, was a little discomfiting to many who saw it. Once your daughter becomes a teenager I think a kiss on the cheek will suffice.
Maybe more excited that either of the Liukins was Bela Karolyi. A lot of people have criticized him for bias towards the U.S. team and the fact that he behaves like a fan, when traditionalists believe he should behave as an impartial observer. But NBC knew what they were getting when they hired him, and if they didn't like his enthusiasm, they wouldn't constantly replay his off-air moments. I think viewers are smart enough to understand he's the former U.S. coach, his wife is still a coach, and he's going to root for the U.S. As long as he's honest, I've got no problem with him. In fact, he may have been too honest when he called out the Chinese for using underage gymnasts.
There is one picture that surpasses the above Liukin kiss in terms of stomach-turningness. Hungarian weightlifter Janos Baranyai injured his elbow while trying to lift 325 pounds.
