I’ve got Olympic fever
Alas, today I write to tell you some news: I’ve come down with a fever. Not just any fever, but one that shall last a month and afflicts me every two (or four) years.
I kid, but a lot of us may be feeling this way right now as we sit and enjoy the Paris 2024 Olympics each day.
But it isn’t as simple as that anymore, the Olympic sports have lept from our screens and grown larger, taking over those little screens we carry around as well.
As my brilliant colleague, Jake Walsh, recently explained during our latest catchup: for the first time ever, we truly have sneak peeks behind the scenes, witnessing things we never would normally get to see. And this isn’t solely Americans experiencing this phenomenon, but many nations across the globe.
What’s created this great change?
This is the first Olympics post-pandemic, which means it is the first Olympics in which TikTok (they even have their own Tiktok account, of course) is a regular part of many’s lives (and to a lesser extent, Instagram Reels).
You may be thinking: Maddie, TikTok isn’t that big of a deal!
I argue, however, that it is.
While I admit to having complicated feelings about the Olympics, (whether that be due to negative news or the impending fear of the effects it will have on my city in 2028) this year I’m more hooked than ever!
I wholly blame TikTok for this. Because of it, athletes are sharing things like what the Olympic Village is like (complete with lacking A/C, cardboard beds, food halls that were great until they weren’t, and beautiful moments of unity), where the surfers are (in Tahiti, on a cruise ship), Simone Biles’ makeup routine and feelings before the Women’s All-Around finals (nervous, but confident), and Ilona Maher’s all around amazing personality both in humor and strength (don’t get me started, I could write a whole article just about her!). I could go on.
We’ve never gotten to really see these moments before, and I’m so glad we are now. The Olympians are no longer solely stoic athletes performing great feats, they are also humans.
This seems to shock and surprise us, but I see it as a beautiful thing. We are all complicated, and we all have bad days, children and fans around the world should be allowed to see this and understand it. It started in some ways with Simone Biles in Tokyo when she withdrew from competition with a case of the “twisties”, choosing her safety and mental health over the competition. Now, it grows as we see people have the same problems as us: it's hot and Europeans don’t have much air conditioning, we’re in a new environment and are having a hard time sleeping or getting to know people, we feel pressure to do well at our jobs. Plus, it’s pretty fun and cool, no?
All of this doesn‘t even touch on how it is all a great case study for brands and influencer marketing.
So while we all may have strong feelings about the Olympics and whether TikTok or social media is good for us, maybe it’s ok to just enjoy it for now and sweat the fever out on our own.
Lesson Learned: I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, social media can be bad and hard, but it also has its good moments, let’s enjoy this one while it lasts.
