In eager anticipation...

The world’s best swimmer and the world’s fastest man. Both put on amazing displays in last year’s Olympics. Not to be left in the respective wake and dust of Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt, the Chinese and U.S. women’s gymnastics team competed in a fierce and controversial battle. From the jaw dropping opening featuring over 15,000 performers to the architecturally stunning and aesthetically pleasing Bird’s Nest venue, the Beijing Olympics were memorable throughout.
However, the most interesting impact of the Olympic Games, beyond the athletics and grandiosity is the cultural impact.
Always a symbol of unity and respectful competition, the Olympic Games transcend nearly all of the world’s social obstacles in the name of shared human experience. While the Olympics do not always leave out politics, when that does come up it is usually empowering. Participating in track in the 1936 Berlin Olympics, African-American Jesse Owens won four gold medals, trumping Adolf Hitler’s attempt to glorify the Aryan race throughout the games. After respectively winning gold and bronze in the 1968 Mexico City Olympics 200 meter dash, Tommie Smith and John Carlos performed a Power to the People salute. The image still remains prominent in today’s culture.
At a time when our nation is trying to change its global reputation, holding the 2016 Olympics could put a great cap on the end of a possible second Obama term. Perhaps President Obama is thinking ahead with his last minute Thursday trip to Copenhagen in an effort to convince the International Olympic Committee to accept the Chicago big. The United States is too often viewed as the big bully on the world playground. After Obama’s first United Nations address on September 23, many critics noted the vast difference between his approach toward the world’s leaders and former President Bush’s. If all goes well in the Obama camp maybe the world can celebrate the changes he made in his hometown in his last year as president.