For weeks, I knew exactly where I was going to be at 7 p.m. on the night of July 27, 2012: sitting squarely on my couch in my living room and watching the opening ceremonies of the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London. I’m sure I’m not the only one, either.
The ceremony itself was enjoyable, although nothing on the level of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Seeing the history and culture of the United Kingdom was a spectacle, and it did well to show off the countries’ eccentric attitudes. But what I was really waiting for wasn’t the fireworks displays, the show put on by what seemed to be hundreds of volunteers, or even seeing the queen of England parachuting out of a helicopter.
What I wanted to see was the parade of nations, with one eye open for one nation in particular.
Honestly, seeing some of the best athletes our country had to offer was gratifying. It’s great to see people recognized for their talents, and the opening ceremony proved to be no different.
Still, that was not the most amazing sight I saw that night. That honor goes to each country’s copper petal, which was carried with each team into the stadium during the parade, being lit with the Olympic flame and coming together to create and light the Olympic torch all at the same time.
It was a beautiful piece of work, symbolically demonstrating each country coming together in and sportsmanship to display some of the best qualities of not only each of our respective countries, but of the entire human race.
I know that sounds a little sentimental, but the lighting of the ceremony certainly served its purpose to, at least momentarily, bring the people of the world together in friendly competition.
Now, I’m not asking you to root for countries like “I Didn’t Know that Place Existed-Stan” or “The People’s Republic of Where is That?” I’m only asking you take a lesson from the Games themselves.
Our team is comprised of athletes from all corners of the nation. It may also feature athletes who we don’t know, don’t care about, or don’t like, and may even hail from such places as the University of Tennessee, LSU, or even a place like Auburn. And while normally it’s totally acceptable to root against each school and all their respective athletes, now is a time when we can all instead root for the same team: the United States.
Sports have always had an incredible ability to bring people together. They can help alleviate hatred, make people forget their worries and, sometimes, give us memories for a lifetime. And while most of the time we spend that time rooting for our own teams and against each other’s, the Olympics provide the very rare opportunity for the entire nation to put aside local, regional or even national rivalries and applaud for the same team, regardless of where we come from or whom our loyalties lie with.
So as we sit in our respective homes watching whatever event best holds our interest, we can all be happy that, for once, even if it’s only for a little while, we all have one team in common to cheer for.
