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Who is Jordyn Wieber?

Yes, I must admit that I hadn’t heard of 17 year old Olympic athlete Jordyn Wieber until this morning. After a modicum of research, I’ve learned that America had pinned its collective hope on her as the best chance to win a gold medal in the 2012 London Olympics.

Jordyn Wieber

This writer was further edified this morning to learn that Aly Raisman and Gabrielle Douglas are her teammates; they coming away with higher scores than the reigning world champion Wieber in Olympic gymnastics events held on Sunday, July 29, 2012.

It is not the fault of the Olympic athletes that I don’t know who they are. Indeed, they train hard, make considerable sacrifices, and compete at a spectacular level. The training is as much mental as it is physical, and through the years invested it becomes a way of life that returns that investment in precious metal. After the lights have been turned off in the arena of competition, there may be endorsement contracts, television commercials, and all manner of opportunity in a media ever hungry for a fresh young face to cash in on. And, aren’t Americans ever hungry for a fresh young idol to heap their worship upon?

No, it is not the fault of Jordyn Wieber, Aly Raisman, Gabrielle Douglas, or any of the other athletes competing in the 2012 London Olympics that they are a mystery to me. Simply stated, I don’t follow the Olympics and never have.

Certainly, I know of Michael Phelps, Mark Spitz, Nadia Comaneci, and Mary Lou Retton. The aforementioned have transcended the world of athletic competition; rising into the universe of pop culture icons. There are other Olympians that have made a similar false ascension, joining the ranks of NFL, NBA, NHL, and Major League Baseball players who stand at the apex of Mount Superstar. Ah, but the financial security can’t be beat, right?

Call me a curmudgeon, but I am too busy this summer watching the imperiled U.S. and European economies and the tumultuous events in the Middle East. I don’t have the free time or free mind to follow the Olympics.

But I do have to wonder – how many more Olympiads will there be?

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