I do not like sports, a fact that I have shared with many people for many years, often at risk of my alienation from the many sports-crazed men with whom I’ve worked, traveled, and communed. This, also, is a lie. The honest truth is that I like sports, but long ago grew disenchanted by the continual decline of the athlete roll model and by the way so many fans take it all so personally. Simply put, sports ceased to be fun.

The Olympics, on the other hand, are something entirely different. I find the Olympics to be terribly exciting for three reasons. First, I love how every participating country is equal in the eyes of the Olympics. It seems that this is the only time democracies, monarchies and dictatorships alike can set politics aside and share in a common goal. Second, the athletes themselves are largely unknown to the general public yet for 16 days, they are rock stars to their respective countries. This simple contrast to the realm of professional sports allows for pure fandom and for honest recognition of my next point. Lastly, I find the sheer talent and fearlessness of these athletes inspiring. There is not a single event, in the Winter Games in particular, where there is not some degree of danger or risk. Some events are downright scary, yet the athletes toe the line between recklessness and precision as if it were the only thing they knew how to do.

So what do the Olympics have to do with Lightfield? I’ll tell you tomorrow.

-Whit