One of my core memories—foundational to who I am—is when in 1984 my parents took my brother, Eric, and me to the summer Olympics in Los Angeles. I was 10 at the time and whatever indifference I may have felt about sports faded by the first notes of “Rhapsody in Blue” played on those 84 grand pianos at the opening ceremony. Yes, please, to the pageantry, the flags, the spectacle. And, oh yes, the athletes parading in, so full of potential.
We were still deep in the Cold War and since the USA had boycotted the 1980 games in Moscow there was maybe even a thicker air of anticipation. I remember the roar that erupted when the Romanian delegation—the only Eastern Bloc nation to compete that year—entered the Coliseum. It was nearly as long and certainly as loud as the sustained cheers for our American contingent.
It was, as Gen Z says, a vibe.
Few human pursuits heighten our emotions, make us feel especially alive, as sports—whether we are competing in them or screaming from the sideline. And for me the Olympics does it best.
In this issue, Beth Cooney Fitzpatrick takes us behind-the-scenes at NBC Sports, the storytelling center of it all. She introduces us to the local talent, including on-air stars Damon Hack and Dan Hicks, who deliver the drama directly to our screens and finds out how they do it. She also reports on what it means to Stamford to have the hub headquartered here while the on-field action takes place in Paris. And Scott Thomas invites us to cheer for native son Westport-raised Olympic rower Oliver Bub who started in the sport at Saugatuck Rowing Club.
Personally, I’m excited to see UConn legends Napheesa Collier, Breanna Stewart and Diana Taurasi dominate on the hardwood. But mostly I can’t wait to watch my son Anderson—nearly the same age I was when I was poolside to see Michael “The Albatross” Gross swim for gold—catch the Olympic bug.What moments will he recall decades from now? What dreams will the Games ignite? What a thrill.
Coverage kicks off from Paris to Stamford to the world on July 26. We’ll be watching.