The Winter Olympics captures the attention of people around the world, and most of the time, we root for American athletes because they compete for our country. This bias causes viewers to miss out on both the athletics and the amazing athletes from other countries.
Viewers cheer more when American athletes do well and they become disappointed when the athletes do not do well. To some degree, having a sense of pride in one’s country can be good, but if this causes a dislike of foreign athletes, this obstructs the idea of the Olympics. The Olympics should unite the countries, not cause a hatred of other countries if they perform better than the United States. Around 2,800 athletes are participating in this year’s Winter Olympics according to polymic.com, and since only about 230 of the athletes are from America, prejudiced viewers miss the chance to see many great athletic displays.
If viewers are too concerned about whether the athletes from their country win a gold medal, they also miss out on important new events. This year the Olympics added a new event, women’s ski jump, after women fought to compete in an event that was previously only open to men. The Olympics isn’t merely an athletic competition; it can also be the center of historical moments.
Viewers can continue supporting their country, but instead of only cheering for their country when those athletes do well, they should enjoy the Olympics as a whole. When an athlete from another country performs well, try cheering for them too once in a while.
