I thought I would write a tell-all guide to life in the dorms
for my first column. I could reveal all the RA secrets you need to
know and insert uplifting quotes like, “Everyone is
afraid,” and “You are unique.” Nah, no point; you
freshmen will figure it out on your own and I’m sure your
delusions of grandeur will fade quickly. 

Instead, I will tackle my current favorite subject—the
Olympics

I heart the Olympics. It’s the ultimate combination of
sports and drama.  During the last Winter Games, I don’t
think I went to class much. I just couldn’t pull myself away
from Olympic hockey. The Summer Games have been just as awesome.
Swimming proved to be just as spectacular as it was billed to be.
Despite this, a gray cloud has descended upon the games.

This has been the Olympics not of terror, but of whining and
complaining and then some more whining. Several of the athletes
have shown more concern with conspiracy theories than simply
working hard. 

The gold medal for complaining has to go to the Russians. First,
diva gymnast Svetlana Khorkina insinuated that the all-round
competition had been pre-determined. Svetlana complained that she
was unable to capture the gold because she wasn’t American.
Then fellow Russian Aleksei Nemov made a similar accusation about
his high bar score.

 If you are going to talk about complaining, let’s
talk about the South Korean gymnast Yang Tae Young, who was the
victim of a scoring snafu that lost him the gold medal to American
Paul Hamm. 

Wait, we aren’t done yet. Don’t forget Gary Hall
Jr., who made it clear that he deserved a spot on the swimming
relay instead of some guy named Michael Phelps. Confused yet? You
should be. 

The Americans got into the act as well. Aaron Peirsol complained
that Japanese swimmer Kosuke Kitajima used an illegal dolphin kick
in the breast stroke. 

In the immortal words of Charlie Brown, one can only say,
“good grief.” On one hand, you can’t blame them.
These people dedicate their entire lives to their sports, making
countless sacrifices along the way.

You can understand how emotions can get involved and how the
athletes can feel cheated. If some grader messed up the score on my
final exam, I’d be on a warpath. 

Ultimately though, it’s one thing to feel cheated;
it’s quite another to call a press conference and whine like
a little baby. It’s just a sport and some graciousness would
be refreshing. You can even say that some of these athletes have a
point. Results can’t be changed on every whim though, or
mutiny would ensue. 

Sure we could make a duplicate medal for Yang Tae Young and we
can break Kitajima’s legs, but where would it end? Instead of
indulging these athletes’ complaints, we need to keep the
focus on the real stars of the games: those who take pride in their
country and respect the spirit of the games. 

—Deirdre Steiner is a public relations senior. Her column
appears every other Thursday. She can be reached at
opinion@oudaily.com.
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