Lots Of Olympics, With Some Ivy Football Mixed In

Perhaps by now you've seen the commercial on the Olympics where the American athletes, clad in their Team USA gear, are gathering in the airport waiting for their flight to London.

As they greet each other, kill time before their flights and do the things that people do at airport gates, all of the other travelers, especially the kids, look on in awe.

Then the athletes all get up and walk to the plane, as the overhead sign flashes the destination of "London Heathrow." The commercial ends in the obligatory slow-motion, as the athletes board, with the voiceover talking about how United has been flying Olympic athletes for decades now.

TigerBlog wondered at first if the commercial uses real athletes or actors playing athletes, and if they used actors, why not use real athletes? Then he wondered if when the athletes traveled, they wore all that USA stuff.

Then there are the commercials that have run back-to-back.

The first is the one that starts out that the Olympic athletes are just like everyone else. The second one is the one where the athletes (actors, probably) say things like "I haven't had dessert in years" or "I haven't watched TV in years" or whatever they're saying.

And did you realize that all of the people who made it to the Olympics did so because they ate the right yogurt? Or the right french fries from the right fast food restaurant. TB isn't sure.

TB saw all those commercials last night. He also heard, again, the U.S. announcer who insists on calling the two beach volleyball players "Kerry" and "Misty," as if they are first cousins or BFFs or something. Can there be a little professionalism among all the cheerleading?

TB read this on a British blog, and it sort of resonated with him:
As one, the media are demanding, cajoling, whipping us into appropriate displays of Olympic enthusiasm, particularly in relation to British competitors and especially British victories. Breathless BBC commentators reiterate the same round of superlatives – “unbelievable”, “incredible”, “amazing,” “brilliant,” “unbelievable” – telling us again and again how unique, how special, how extraordinary these Olympics are. It feels like they’re the ones on performance enhancing drugs, not the usually sober, poised and realistic competitors.
The boosterism is relentless. We’re all being enjoined to get out and back Team GB, regardless of the particular event or the particular competitors, as if there were no other elements in the spectacle. No matter what the context, no matter how minor or major the sport or what role it actually plays in our lives and imaginations, and entirely disregarding the merits of the opposition, we must reproduce the same emotion, the same enthusiasm. As a fan, I’m always sad to see sports reduced to a hollow chamber for a one-dimensional national chauvinism. The human phenomenon we call sport is far more interesting than that. 

Another commercial TB has seen during the Olympics has been the promo for the upcoming sitcom "Go On," starring one of the guys from "Friends." Just a hunch, but TB feels like this show will go the way of every other sitcom that the "Friends" cast has tried.

TB liked "Friends," and he thought Chandler had his moments. He just can't see this show being any good. Maybe he'll be wrong.

Either way, the promos are a sign that once the Olympics end, it'll be a sprint to the end of this month and with it, the start of the 2012-13 college athletic year.

Yesterday was Ivy League football media day, or at least the Ivy League football coaches preseason media call.

TigerBlog used to love Ivy League football media day.

There was the overwhelming pressure to get the media guide done in time, because showing up without one was not a possibility. TB used to have drive to meet the printer to pick up a few boxes of guides on his way to Connecticut, where the media day used to be.

The event itself was never overflowing with media people, but there were enough to sustain it. More importantly, it was an opportunity to have all of the Ivy League coaches, SIDs and media types, along with a good handful of administrators, in the same place at the same time - all a few weeks before things go really serious.

When TB thinks back to his time here, he remembers football media day as one of the highlights of every year.

Yes, he understands why it no longer exists, with costs, decreased media and all that.

Still, it was a fun time. Some football talk. Some camaraderie. Some golf. A great box lunch after some bagels for breakfast. What could be better?

Princeton was picked to finish eighth in the media poll. Somewhat shockingly, opening day is little more than a month away for football and little more than three weeks away for most fall sports.

In the meantime, it's back to the Olympics.