Thursday, February 9, 2006
It’s the most wonderful time of the year.
Football season is officially over.
Kansas blew out the mighty Houston Cougars in the Fort Worth Bowl, Vince Young won the Rose Bowl all by himself and the Steelers won a twiddle-my-thumbs boring Super Bowl.
So now that it’s all over, can we finally, please, move past the most over-hyped and overrated sports season of the year and start paying attention to the truly compelling sports?
Quick question: Can you tell me where the Winter Olympics are being held this year? If you guessed Eudora, you’re wrong. They are actually being held in Turino, Italy. Bonus question: When do they start? If you said tomorrow, you’re correct and probably in the minority.
That’s right, in less than 48 hours, the best athletes in the world not on the hardwood or a gridiron will parade into Stadio Olimpico in Turino, ready to perform in the greatest event in all of sports.
The power of the Olympics transcends the sports that are played. The cultural and social implications of the Olympics can never be understated. What other sporting event — or any event, for that matter — has the power to peacefully bring representatives from 85 different nations together? Consider this: Alidad Saveh Shemshaki of Iran and Mikail Renzhin of Israel will both be in the qualifying pools for the men’s slalom and giant slalom skiing events.
In case you’ve never read the non-sports sections of the newspaper, those are two athletes from respective countries that are one nervous soldier with a grudge away from igniting World War III. Shaq vs. Kobe? No thanks. Ohio State vs. Michigan? I’ll pass. Give me Shemshaki vs. Rehzhin, a matchup with a whole lot more drama.
The games in Turin also provide compelling American storylines. Will the soul-patched, bandana-sporting, speed-skating Apolo Anton Ohno be able to avoid another fateful wipeout, similar to the crash that kept him from winning the gold in the 1000m individual race? How well will the USA Hockey team compete with 44-year-old Chris Chelios as its captain? Can the United States team eclipse its record of 34 total medals it kept in the States in Salt Lake City?
The Olympics won’t be the only more compelling sport right now.
If winter sports and the peaceful coexistence of the world’s powers aren’t really your bag, then look no further than NCAA basketball.
With regular season games remaining against Missouri, Kansas State and Texas, KU fans should be well-entertained as they wait for postseason play. Arguably, March Madness begins at the Big 12 championship on March 9. How well Kansas plays there is sure to have a huge impact on the Jayhawks’ seed in the Big Dance a week later.
Kansas (16-6, 7-2), starting three freshmen and two sophomores, may not have the most postseason experience. But the last time I checked, that doesn’t matter as much in the tournament as all the ESPN pundits would have you believe. Syracuse won it all in 2003 with two freshmen, Carmelo Anthony and Gerry McNamara, leading the charge. And last year, Kansas led by seniors Aaron Miles, Keith Langford, Wayne Simien and Michael Lee bowed out in the first round to Bucknell, a 13 seed. So it’s hard to say how Kansas will respond this year.
Bottom line: The Super Bowl and the BCS may provide the ratings and the huge corporate sponsors, but the Winter Olympics and the NCAA postseason will provide the truly compelling.
Although the folks at Tostitos, Nokia and EV1.net may want you to think otherwise, right now we are beginning — not ending — the best part of the year for sports.
Wacker is a Chesterfield, Mo., senior in journalism. He is Kansan.com editor.
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