As usual, there has been a lot of buzz leading up to the Olympics. The unique aspect of these games is that the chatter leading up to it had more to do with a variety of controversial topics in addition to the usual athletes to watch. Stories leading up to the games have included unfinished construction, toilet proximity, security concerns, terrorist threats, anti-gay laws, stray dogs, spy cameras, and eyebrow-raising hotel accommodations (something to do with brown water), just to name a few. There is even a Twitter handle being used to showcase some of the #SochiProblems.
This event has definitely captured the interest of people around the world as 2,850 athletes from 88 countries begin to compete over 17 days in Sochi, Russia. It’s interesting to see that posts on social channels about the Sochi Olympics are coming from literally every country in the world. While the majority of the posts are coming from the US, Canada, UK and Russia, there are posts from all 196 countries. So even countries that are not represented by athletes at the games are still interested in the event.
So far, Twitter has captured the gold medal and has been the dominant channel where conversations about the Olympics are happening. The key topic up to this point has been the opening ceremonies, with most people being very positive about the event itself, which was full of Russian history entertainment; the one hiccup being the malfunction of one of the five snowflakes to open into the Olympic rings, as planned. My favorite moment is the Russian police performing Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky.” In my opinion, they were the true stars of the show. Who knew?
There have also been some very funny comments about the Team USA uniforms, as people appear to have strong feelings about the Ralph Lauren apparel. I think that the athletes look like they are wearing a Fourth of July blanket but they certainly are patriotic and look warm. There were lots of comments posted about ‘ugly Christmas sweaters.’
But not everyone hated the uniform. U.S. Bobsledder Matt Antoine seems to love the look.
Love them or hate them, at least these uniforms were made in the USA avoiding the huge uproar that occurred upon discovery that the uniforms worn at the London Olympics were made in China. Anyway, these athletes can make anything look good. The Olympics are off to a great start with lots of exciting competition. Go #TeamUSA!
Be sure to keep up with all the trending topics of the Sochi Olympics with Visible’s Sports Pulse >>
