I can't bring myself to. The Olympics lost something when competition stopped being about self-mastery. If you look at the ancient Olympic Games or maybe even just several decades ago, competition wasn’t just “who runs fastest.” It was embedded in religion, civic honor, and virtue. Excellence includes discipline and character. There was a seriousness to it...

The modern Olympics branding, broadcasting, social media, and the Olympic Village basically being treated like a giant adult summer (winter) camp. I know people say the sex, the substance use, etc... is just stress relief or “they’re adults, who cares.”

But to me, sex isn’t recreational stress relief. It’s powerful. It shapes you. So, when the highest level of competition, something that should represent extreme focus and self-command, is surrounded by that kind of culture, it feels off. Debauched.

I guess the heart of the matter is how competition is viewed: Is it sacred or is it a spectacle? What is elite sport actually for?

I cannot really cheer for team USA because I know a majority of these athletes do not represent these things. Though I can see and recognize achievement, it doesn’t inspire loyalty or emotional investment for me because the underlying values are absent.