The Summer Olympics are taking place, but according to a large number of people, including an estimated 80% of Japanese residents, they should not even happen. After the adjournment from 2020 – for the first time in Olympic history – Japanese citizens have called for a reconsideration of the 2021 events until the cases come under control. Covit-19 diagnoses have forced at least two dozen athletes to leave, and those without the virus are warming up in the 90s. “The air was too thick for us. I thought you had to chew it before. Oh, now there’s a tropical storm to Tokyo.
There’s one more part of the 2021 Olympics that is as tasty as we all want it to be: the athletes at Dictok. These are the first games Dictok has ever seen, so naturally a few athletes use it. Take USA team rugby player Ilona Maher, who created the 300,000 strong force by pointing out the problems of the Olympic dining hall rubbish system. The video for the Olympics went viral, with American volleyball player Eric Shoji documenting his Olympic-sized diet.
Just as social media has done for celebrities before them, Dictoc is helping viewers put names and groups faces on their TV screens in the coming weeks. In other words, it helps to humanize athletes. Two of Maher’s keynote comments on a video were, “I forget these are normal human beings sometimes, I like it” and “The Olympics are so much fun, now Dictok is a thing.”
This internet popularity, of course, helps athletes who are not five or more to become household names during the Olympic season – Simon Piles or Katie Ledecky, for example – gain recognition for themselves. Among her many fans, Maher told NBC: “It’s very difficult as a female athlete. We don’t have a lot of resources or even much focus.
The truth is, once you reveal how immoral it is to watch the Olympics, it is difficult to understand the politics of watching it. The Olympics have long been an economic, environmental and humanitarian catastrophe for the citizens of his hometown, where construction is evacuating large groups of poor residents and taxpayers stepping on the bill, which often outweighs the budget. Billion dollars. The IOC, a corrupt organization, still bans dissent among athletes and favors powerful nations with a history of colonialism, genocide and dictatorship. Meanwhile, athletes are immersed in a story that can be handled by broadcasters based on reality TV.
But man, it’s a good TV. The Olympics are disgusting until athletes from your country see one of those NBC tear gas canisters on the pitch, field, or pool, or The Mother way. Someone got up at 4am and drove her everyday to practice. For 20 years. This is an objectively wonderful show because the focus is on the athletes themselves, who seem to be amazing human beings overall. It’s not so good to see, but hey, what are we going to do, Tongan does not support the team because their flag bearing is too fat and muscular? In the end, there is a lot worse – I apologize – for the need for mental gymnastics.
Check it out, here American diver Tyler Downs shares a global experience with a passion for Simon Piles! How could Argentine 7-foot basketball player Fran Cabaro not be able to enter the Olympic Village rain? Of course you do! Alternatively, let Australian diver Sam Friker take you on a beautiful little bike ride around the Olympic Village, or watch New Zealand athletes compare biceps circumference. Did you know that Nigerian-American basketball player Erica Okwumike is accidentally at Med School? Or do they all take autonomous buses? Did you know that there is an entertainment center where all the athletes can relax and play table tennis and arcade games together? This is adorable! Finally, here’s America’s men’s volleyball team doing shimmy (I highly recommend this). Damn, go to Team USA.
This column was first published in The Goods Newsletter. Register here So don’t miss the next one and get more newsletter excerpts.
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