I'm probably going to be embarrassed when I read this tomorrow, but...
Wow! Did not expect the Olympics to receive such divisive and negative reactions
I'm not at all a sports guy, but I absolutely love the Olympics. In fact, I've been watching a whole lot of it the past few days; archery, rowing, beach volleyball, swimming, basketball, soccer, boxing, weightlifting, gymnastics, table tennis, badminton, fencing, the list goes on. There's a hugely diverse amount of sports, with the entire world coming together peacefully to compete, in a different rich cultural city every four years that presents a unique vibe in its own Olympic iteration. Guys, this event is special, not only for the athletes, but for humanity as well--literally nothing comes to mind that can bring people together like this. I think its a brilliant way to spend money to be honest. These different athletes from around the world represent the epitome of human physical achievement and dedication, and I think their drive to succeed is absolutely worth celebrating. And again, the thing that really makes it for me is that nearly every nation in the world has decided to come together and peacefully honor this tradition. Its not only impressive, its important and significant.
Visiting a different city every four years offers a chance to see a different culture and background full of rich ethnic and cultural significance and uniqueness. The city that vies to host the Olympics should itself be prepared to do so--its not like the IOC picks a city at random. There's no reason to hate on the Olympics, the Olympic athletes, or what they stand for due to increased traffic as a result of one of the most important events in the modern era, even if it is severe (of which I have no doubt). The taxes--that's a major problem, I'll agree (are they temporary?). But again, that's not something to pin on the Olympic Games, the Olympic athletes, or what those things stand for. I'd be willing to pay those extra taxes in all honesty--that's coming from an American, notorious for hating high government tolls, which I do
but the Olympic Games are worth it! The city of Athens, and the nation of Greece itself, could not sustain hosting the Olympics every four years. It just isn't feasible. Both the city and country are not particularly large, and Greece would not be able to consistently muster the funds to host the games consecutively. In fact, I don't think any country could. It's not just building a stadium that costs money. Plus, Greece is in a much worse state than they were in 2004. It would not be fair to ask Greece to host the games, and it would also rob the participants--viewers and athletes--of the important aspect of cultural diversity as made possible by the different host cities. This is one of the mantras of the Olympic Games, one of the very things that makes it as important as it is.
Its very easy to be negative about big cost events, I understand. I often cringe at superhero movies because of the property damage the heroes and villains cause to a city, no joke. But to ignore to significance, importance and quality of this event in favor of the negatives is to do yourself a great disservice. Plus, if you find an event to enjoy, it can be entertaining to no end and promote pride for your nation in a way that politics and history really cannot. In a world that has become increasingly polarized, demonstrating that unification is possible while celebrating some of the greatest athletes of our time is in my opinion no way a colossal waste of cash.
Rants like this are never received well...but I was really rather surprised that the responses were so negative. Hitting the Submit button now...will be hitting the Regret button later...
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now, before I start talking about nations and politics 
