We need the Olympics, but for nonathletic everyday people, and it should be like jury duty. And we need Olympic-type events, too, for fashion, for the arts, for innovators and inventors…
August 26, 2026
There is nothing that brings me greater joy than being a part of things. I feel I don’t get to be a part of things too often.
I work from home, I have two friends, and they both live in different states – and growing up, I felt like somewhat of an outcast since I was shy, ugly, and awkward.
As I got older, I remained socially awkward and mostly isolated from people for various reasons.
But nowadays I do socialize more. A lot of the time, in online spaces. And one of my favorite things is when everyone starts talking about the same thing – the same good, positive thing – at the same time, and I get to join the conversation. And then we’re all just talking. And stuff. And it’s great.
It’s why I love when the Met Gala, the fashion weeks, and the award shows come around. But none of those cause extended, worldwide conversations the way the Olympics do.
Which is why I personally feel that we need more Olympics and stat.
But not, like, actual Olympics.
Just something similar in the sense that it can bring the entire world together for close to a month.
When the Olympics come around, we all tune in and watch throughout the month and root for whatever athletes we’ve taken a liking to and yell at them through the TV for not doing a good enough job in whatever sport we’ve never even heard of until we started watching it.
And it’s fun. We need a lot more of that.
That’s not to say everything is all unicorns, rainbows, and apple pie.
There’s always Olympic drama, people being problematic, and countries bumping heads.
But for the most part, the Olympics, in my experience, are simply weeks of collective focus that aren’t doom-based. While most events today are short-lived or algorithm-based (and therefore fragmented), the Olympics provide the shared attention, positivity, and collective participation that many of us crave.
It’s just, like, everyone in the world watching and talking about the same thing at the same time, and it’s great. And I want more of it. Expeditiously.
Sure, we have some somewhat similar things, but they don’t hit the same.
The FIFA World Cup is the closest match overall, I guess, but so many Americans don’t care about soccer that it doesn’t have that same big deal feel in the sense that a lot of people here won’t even know it’s on if you ask if they’re watching it.
Then there’s Eurovision, which is big globally, but very Europe-centric and pretty niche in the US.
There’s the Super Bowl, and it’s a major event, but only for people in the US…Who happen to care about it…
And there’s the Cricket World Cup, which is pretty massive globally, but practically invisible in the US…
So, there’s really nothing that grabs everyone – from North America to Europe to Asia – the way the Olympics do.
And it’s a real shame.
But it’s okay because I have ideas!
Whoever’s reading this needs to find a way to make them happen, please and thank you!
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