Narrative Essay On College Sports

Whether it was driving past the Broncos stadium on I-25, attending various Rockies games throughout the summer, or watching the X Games in Aspen, it was undeniable to me from an early age that sports mattered in Colorado. I would often speculate how the athletic atmosphere in Colorado rivaled that of other cities from around the world. One fall afternoon, I rode in the back seat of my Dad’s car, mindlessly gazing out at the window as the familiar static of NPR vibrated from the speakers. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) had narrowed down the potential candidates to host the 2018 winter Olympic games, one again provoking my curiosity as to the potential legitimacy of a Denver bid. With little hesitation, I leaned close to my Dad’s ear,

in an attempt to overcome the vibration of the speakers and asked “why doesn’t Denver host, we’re big enough aren’t we?” “Yes Denver is big enough” he responded quickly, but not in a convincing tone, “ but the Olympics are too expensive, Denver already turned down a chance to host anyway, it’s not going to happen.” I jolted back into my seat stunned, how could something such as cost prevent such a vibrant sports community such as Denver from hosting the largest athletic event in the world? No matter what length of time I exerted on the topic, I failed to warp my head around of how Denver could reject hosting the Olympics. My dumfounded mentality persisted as I watched athletes such as Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps, and Lindsey Vonn dominant headlines of tremendously thrilling Olympic games. However, my attitude began to shift and in fact flipped completely as I grew more conscious of the entire Olympic spectacle: homeless villages torn down, mass protests in wake of games, substantial debt rocks city. My curiosity regarding the Olympics never dissipated, rather it only shifted from one perspective to another. Finally, as I watched RIO attempt to hold their country together this August, I developed what would become my research question, why do the Olympics cost so much, and why are cities still willing to accept such as cost?