Where's the Pride?
I didn’t watch a whole lot of the Olympics this year, but one thing that I found distinctly lacking in the athletes – of those that I watched interviews from – was a spirit of National Pride and a commitment to excellence.
No athlete exemplified this lack of pride more than Bode Miller, America's supposed best athlete on the slopes for these Torino Olympics.
Bode Miller was a poster boy for the Neuter Generation – the current generation of young 20-somethings that have either no passion for anything virtuous or lack any sign of discipline or self-motivation beyond what is comfortable or convenient for them – as described by Vanderleun in this post here.
Miller is apathetic. He neither mentions his disappointment nor does he mention letting down the country that sent him to represent itself on an international stage. Yes, perhaps it is true that the essence of sport is not to win but to participate honorably and with your best effort, but Miller can hardly claim any of descriptors as his own.
Miller, in his interview with Dan Rather just didn't seem to care. He didn't look contrite, just tired. He didn't look humbled, just bored. He didn't take personal responsibility for his lack of concentration (he admitted to be playing basketball and hanging out at clubs while other athletes were preparing for their events) and he didn't even think about a world beyond Bode Miller. The tone of his voice resonated with "whatever".
It might be his colossal ego that put him where he is – off a medal podium of any kind. He mentioned, "maybe I'll go [to Vancouver], I don't know…" as if his invitation will be automatic. But then it was still his shoulder-shrugging 'I don't know' that spoke loudest and most directly toward his apathy.
Even Lindsey Jacobellis' catastrophic backside method grab that cost her the Gold Medal that was pretty much fitted for her neck was a symptom of the "whatever" attitude that permeated this Winter Games. It seems to me that if the idea of representing your country was more heavily impressed upon her, the antics that resulted in her eating a healthy dose of snow along with a helping of humble pie, would have been avoided altogether. But did she feel remorseful? Not in the interview Bob Costas conducted with her later that night.
At one point she said, "I wanted to share my enthusiasm with the crowd. I messed up. Oh well, it happens."
There were a few exceptions to the "whatever" athletes of the 2006 Olympics.
Kimberly Derrick, a young American shortrack speed skater lost her grandfather to a sudden heart attack and her lack of motivation in the 1000m race was justified by one of the few things that should outweigh an athlete's passion for their sport on the biggest night of their event.
And there was Julia Macuso, who, in her interview with Bob Costas mentioned being proud to bring home a Gold medal for the United States in Alpine Skiing within minutes of the opening question of the interview.
Of Bode Miller's immeasurable callousness, Bob Costas said that "Miller will now find out [that] no matter how he looks at it, if you don't care enough to consistently give your best or at least sometimes do your best, then pretty soon, nobody will care either."
Oh well. Whatever.
