Gold Rush

It’s August, half of DC is at the beach and the other half is still reeling from Olympics-withdrawal.  Is there a patch for that?  If so, I could sure use one.  Maybe a 12-step program.  “Hi, I’m Risë, and I’m an Olympics addict.”  If there’s coffee and donuts at those meetings I’m there.

There were literally times when I was so wrapped up in watching swimming or diving or track & field that I didn’t dare run to the kitchen to make a sandwich and then run back to the screen.  I was hungry, but the games were on.   I couldn’t miss one second of Ryan or Aly or Missy.  And Misty, LeBron and Lolo had me glued to my couch.  I was seriously thinking of getting an Olympics tattoo (then thought again).

Was it that the coverage was everywhere?  Was it that online sites and Twitter and Facebook broke the news hours before it hit my TV?  Was it that it took place in London, one of my fave cities?  Not sure if it’s any or all of the above, but boy was I hooked.  And I’m still in recovery.

There’s this 4 hour window every night and I just don’t know what to do with it.  I’ve tried drinks and dinner with friends, a movie, even doing my laundry (special treat) but nothing works yet.

My blood still runs red, white and blue for our primed & pumped athletes and the urge is still there to get home so I can turn on the non-stop coverage of our agile, muscled, fist-pumping and bumping gladiators bringing home the gold. They may have stopped giving out medals, but the rush is still there.

This was kinda like a separation.  Yes, I’ll get to see the summer games again, but not for another four years and next time in Rio where they’ll probably have a samba competition.  Never been to Rio, but I’m definitely thinking about it.  Can you imagine a cooler place to watch beach volleyball?  I can’t.

Ate logo!

LeBRON: PUT A RING ON IT

I shouldn’t even be writing about this, but need to vent.  First, why should a pro ball player get all
the hype (and I know from hype) vs. teacher, firefighter, cop, fisherman and
every other hard-working, low-paid guy/gal out there?  Yeah, I know the answer – ticket sales.  But, it’s all so backwards.  Check out the news – oil gushing in the Gulf,
consumers not spending, guns back on the streets, Greece going under, Somalia
under siege and still not enough new housing in New Orleans.

Not only are we rewarding the wrong folks, but we’re tuning
in (not me) to a TV spectacle out of Connecticut to see this as-of-yet NBA
champ turn down his hometown Cavs to turn up the Heat.

I say put a ring on it. 
If LeBron is going to cash a check for over $19 million a year (not
counting endorsements) shouldn’t he already have some NBA jewelry? Is he really
King without bling? 

So he’ll make a smidge less than he could have with the Cavs
or NY.  He can still spend plenty on
South Beach clubs, hot cars and the greenest golf courses with no state income
tax.

LeBron said “I’m going to take my talents to South
Beach…that was the conclusion I woke up with this morning.”  Oh, give me a break.

Somehow our country needs to get a new perspective on all
this stuff.  Sports is a guy with big
sneakers and a basketball and a teacher shapes the next generation.  Basketball in one hand…brain in the
other.   Not a tough choice.  Can you imagine the numbers of teachers we’d
be recruiting and landing if we paid them what LeBron is getting paid?

So, bottom line, even with a ring it’s wrong.  If kids stopped looking at the pros as heroes
and Wheaties stopped putting them on their box we’d all be much better off.