All That Glitters
The phrase that this special column is based off speaks to the idea of what may appear golden from afar, may be pyrite (fool’s gold).
This saying couldn’t be timed better for many fan across the United States as we head into the 2026 Winter Olympics.
For many, any Olympic event can be the awe inspiring, uniting moment that we all can get behind. I fell in love with luge watching Torino ‘06, then taking turns with my cousins and sister riding a longboard on our backs down their massive hill. I remember sitting down every night in the summer of ‘08 for Michael Phelps with screaming cousins treating every swimming match like a Super Bowl. Four years later, I watched in awe of Danny Boyle’s spell bounding romp through English history for the opening ceremony, and then 12 years later watched an Opening Ceremony in awe again as Celine Dion reclaimed her voice on the Eiffel Tower.
This time around for the Olympics, I and many other fans are feeling more conflicted than usual. The state of our country, politically and socially, is something that is much harder to put to the side for this cycle. It is something that is only going to be more pronounced on the international stage, which makes some fans feel uncomfortable breaking out the red, white, and blue.
This cloud hanging over the Olympics, combined with the scandals that seem to follow every Olympics, has given this tournament more of a malaise than usual (and that’s even after the COVID Olympics!).
I wanted to investigate this further, so I reached out to Olympic super fans to figure out how you can support the national team even when you feel like the nation is a mess.