CONTRIBUTOR'S CORNER – THE PUTIN GAMES: #SOCHIPROBLEMS Evan Yelenich Disclaimer: This article is the satirical opinion of the author and does not reflect the opinion of the Student Consultants, Student Academic and Career Services, or the College of Business and Economics.
Let The Games Begin
Let’s start from the beginning – $51 billion! That is the cost of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia (most expensive ever), and who knows how much money President Vladimir Putin put in from his own wallet. The opening ceremonies were spectacular as usual; Putin wanted it to blow the world’s collective mind as China did in 2008. To me, the most memorable moment was the five snowflakes that opened up into the Olympic rings, which would have been great except the last snowflake did not open! The next day on Facebook, links were being shared that the person whose job it was to open that last ring was found deceased (thankfully, this was a hoax). Even before the games began, Olympians and journalists were tweeting pictures of their rooms and bathrooms of the Olympic Village and hotels. The sanitary issues didn’t appear very pleasant. A trending topic on Twitter leading up to the start of the Olympics was #SochiProblems. I am sure this is not how Putin wanted to be remembered.
The Courses
Many Olympians were complaining about the courses, especially the snowboarders and skiers. American Shaun White withdrew from snowboarding slopestyle because of the course and another rider withdrew because of a broken collarbone. In the women’s Super-G (alpine skiing), 18 competitors were unable to finish their race. Yes, 18! It was created by the Austrian coach. Coincidently, an Austrian racer won the gold in the women’s. Things that make you go “hmm.”
The Faces
NBC should have taken Bob Costas off air before he ever started. First, he had pink eye in his left eye, which unfortunately was not an appealing look. Two days later, he had pink eye in both eyes! He looked very creepy and probably scared a couple of kids watching at home. Luckily, Meredith Vieira stepped in as the first female to anchor the Olympics before Costas later returned. In other news, American skater Ashley Wagner believed she did amazing in her routine. She was all smiles until she saw her score and made some crazy-looking faces. If only Towson could recruit her to teach a class, Becoming an Internet Meme in Less than 24 Hours 101 perhaps? Let us not forget about Putin after the shootout loss to the U.S. in hockey. He looked as if he had just lost a bet to President Obama. He probably went straight to the Russian locker room to play some Russian Roulette.
I’ll finish off by saying that these games are exciting and I am extremely proud of Team USA. I cannot wait for the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea where they will bring home even more hardware. USA, USA, USA!!!