Are the Olympics dying? For some, the Olympics are simply just a random occurrence every two years. In fact, some don’t even tune in for a second to watch the games. This begs the questions: Are they dying? Are they already dead? Or are we sensing a false narrative? 

Are they really dying or do you just not watch them? Many Americans are spoiled with the array of sports we get to choose from. Any given night you could tune into a hockey or basketball game, and right there is where our perspective comes from. Personally, I don’t actively watch the winter Olympics, and I’ve started to tell myself they’re a thing of the past. However, I see that only because of how many other sports there are to pick from thus making the Olympics look like just an another sporting event to watch.

But I’m a citizen of the most sports dominated country in the world, so what is the global viewpoint. In global numbers the 2020 summer games hosted in Tokyo rallied up an astounding 3 BILLION viewers (reminder that’s 3/7 of the entire population). But what’s the reason for this? Covid? No. If fans had been allowed to attend the games Japan’s population is only 125.8 Million. And assuming under a bizarre scenario that every single Japanese citizen attended the games which barely scratches a minuscule dent in the total viewership. So, if the games in Tokyo were so successful, what’s the cause for the remarkably low viewership for this year’s winter games? Well, to no shocker America has a big influence on the global stage. Yet, it feels like this country just doesn’t care. The culprit of this may be the host nation. Tensions around the world haven’t been this high since the 60’s, and Earth is starting to feel the ramifications. The peaceful bubble we’ve all been living in is on the brink of being popped simply making Beijing not the ideal host from the American standpoint.

The sphere of influence is held by major countries. The western hemisphere is the global powerhouse of control. And a polarizing country hosting the lesser brother of the games, isn’t ideal. But I think beyond all of this is that the winter Olympics will never be the summer games. As I stated, the “lesser-brother” claim and that argument is 100% fair. They just don’t have nearly as much to offer. Bobsledding just can’t compete with the likes of basketball, swimming, and gymnastics. But the question of this article is are they dying? And I would ultimately say not quite. In the United States they might have, but I feel when the games come to LA in 2028 will show if the death of the games has already happened here. But from a global perspective, it’s an absolute no. The world doesn’t have the seemingly endless choice of sports compared to us. For some countries it’s all they have. It’s their chance to show off their greatest athletes. Regardless if they have died it doesn’t matter. The world can never get rid of them. It’s a part of mankind’s tradition. It unified the world and no matter if zero people watch the games will happen. The legacy is too rich to get rid of, and they’re always going be here. In all, the games aren’t dying; it just depends where you look.