Patriotism: the love for or devotion to one’s country. Every year, there are peaks and falls in the amount of patriotism the population of the United States has. Independence Day, Veteran’s day, elections. However, there is one factor that emerges every four years: the Olympics. The Olympics has become inescapable in this generation of social media. Wherever we are, the two week competition is there. Out to lunch? Equestrian is on the TV. Scrolling TikTok? Every other video mentions Raygun, the Australian Breakdancer. Checking out at the Target? The cashier is asking about Katie Ledecky.
But why? Sure, the Olympics is amazing and a spectacular showcase of the world’s best athletes, but the sudden uproar of American dedication stems from a separate desire. It is no secret the United States is the most patriotic country in the world. This patriotism comes from the unalienable rights that the United States holds dear? after fighting for their independence. The United States also favors winning. Most people prefer the feeling of winning, so when a small group of athletes go to represent our country- it makes sense that people want to wear red, white, and blue galore.
A trend started to occur within the early second week of the games, prompting users to record videos of themselves watching the Olympics with captions such as “Me being patriotic once every 4 years for the olympics” (@mariahcrose) and “Pov: you’re more patriotic at the olympics than on July 4th” (@janette.ok). Although the intent behind these videos might seem genuine, these are often the same people who post about their contempt towards the state of their country. Instead, these videos encapsulate Americans’ desire to win, so much so that some people feign devotion to their country in order to win. There is not a total medal count that ranks countries in the Olympics, yet when you Google them, there is a leaderboard with the United States sitting at the top with the most medals. Although many Americans do watch American sports, the number of viewers for the Olympics is over 4 times higher than American sports. For example, the NBA playoffs had viewership of 4.53 million, whereas the USA vs. France amassed 19.5 million viewers. Despite lack of interest in sports such as basketball, the Olympics drives Americans to watch the sport.
All this being said, there is no reason to be ashamed of supporting your country in the Olympics. It is an entertaining program that allows athletes around the world to show their talents. Go team USA!
