In Chinese numerology, the number eight is considered to be especially lucky, and sounds similar to the words for "wealth" and "good fortune". Seeing as that the Olympics will be held in Beijing this year, it's no surprise that the date set for the opening ceremonies is August 8th, 2008, or 8-8-08...at 8am. A little under two months away. I cannot wait!
I watched WAAAAY more gymnastics this past weekend than I have in months. The fact that insanely muscular, incredibly skilled short people are being televised at all is a sign of good things to come. Inspirational commercials for the Olympics meant to evoke emotion have begun to flood the airwaves as well. Some might view them as cheesy, but as some of you (BT) know, I have a long-standing love affair with them. Here's how it all began...
Picture it: Two moderately dehydrated girls, who overdosed on sun earlier and had shared one single beer, sitting entirely too closely together on the couch trying not to look ridiculous after the McDonald's Olympic track commercial had made them both teary-eyed. True story! (Note: we laughed at each other and ourselves, and then made fun of the weight-lifting competition that was taking up time in between the interesting sports...right up until we totally got into it and cheered loudly for the Bulgarian entrant in the clean-and-jerk.)
So yeah...now you understand where my love for these commercials comes from. I just love sports. All sports. And pretty much anything related to sports. Visa has been running their Olympic "Go World" campaign spots lately and I think they're great:
If I remember correctly, BT and I cried after we saw Keri Strug complete her vault, too (Man, there was a lot of crying that summer!). It was one of the great Olympic moments on it's own merits. But I love Visa's take on it, too. Love the gold treatment of the footage. LOVE Morgan Freeman's narration. It gave me that same lump in my throat and those same goose bumps all over again.
Unfortunately, I cannot find my favorite of these commercials. It features Derek Redmond and his father in the 1992 Olympics. I remember watching the events unfold live and getting all emotional and teary. Visa's commercial gave me the same feelings. When I find it, I'll post it.
So, thanks go out to Visa for highlighting some of the most amazing moments in sports and reminding me of how much I love the Olympic games. Two months to go!!
2 comments:
I also am totally looking forward to 8-8-08. In fact, told my principal its why I can't teach summer school. When it was said, it was lighthearted and in jest, but deep down we know the truth. Nothing must get in the way from hours of thrills and chills!
No way, E! You should totally teach a summer school course called "The science of the Olympics", where you could watch the Games all day and somehow cover relevant science topics like:
-the physics of the pole vault, and various other track and field events
-live anatomy, as displayed by the gymnasts and swimmers
-the physiology involved in successful blood doping
-the biomechanics of the clean and jerk (because, let's be real, its ALL about the clean and jerk)
-climate changes, atmospheric conditions and elite competition in all that pollution
Seriously, I could go on and on. You're gonna watch the Games anyways...may as well get paid for it, too! =)
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