Let's Say All Three Olympic Curling Teams Win Gold Medals
Before I go there, let me tell you about a friend of mine. To preserve his anonymity, I will call him NotDavid. David is a full-blown geek. Believe me, I am not talking about him behind his back. He embraces his geekdom and has proudly attended the National Geek Festival. What makes him a geek is that he is a trivia fanatic. He is particularly obsessed with flags and anthems. As he says, he watches the Olympics for the anthems. As an internationally ranked trivia player, there is no limit to the amount of useless knowledge that he will cram into his head. But, here is the thing. When I try to talk about curling, he just changes the subject. He knows nothing about curling and has no desire to know anything. And, he is a proud Canadian. He just doesn't care about curling.
Believe me, I know NotDavid is very unique. However, I don't think he is far off from the average Canadian. As much as I don't like believing it, there are only a few hundred of us fanatics. Even when you can find a dedicated curling chat room, half the people in there don't really know much about curling. We can not like it all that we want, but curling is a marginalized sport.
I think the powers that be are hoping that winning three gold medals giving curling the boost that previous medals gave to the sport. I just don't think that is going to happen this time.
All three teams are self-isolating in their own training camps/rented houses. At a time when cases are simply out of control and most Canadians are struggling in a parallel pandemic of public health and mental health. Canadians are simply struggling. Financially, Emotionally. Juggling remote working, remote schooling, Trying to keep it together. Quite frankly, not caring about the Olympics. One of my favourite reporters has announced that his media outlet has decided not to send him to Beijing after all. Risky and not enough bang for the buck.
With omicron literally taking over the world, the Olympics seem ill-advised, at the very least. We know the Olympics are very expensive and it just seems like money that would be better spent on fighting the virus. Not to mention, the host country's record on human rights makes it a little ethically ambiguous to even participate in. Our country has imposed a diplomatic boycott of the Olympics yet we are sending our athletes. Seems like a mixed message.
Regardless, let's say all three teams win gold medals. It is not going to make too much of a difference to anyone.
It is certainly going to be a different experience for Team Gushue than it was in Torino. They won't be gathering all students to gymnasiums to watch it on tv. If there is even school and they are not remote learning. There won't be huge celebrations and celebrity parties. People will still be limiting their contacts and public celebrations will be at a minimum. It will ensure Brad's induction in the World Curling Hall of Fame. But, it is going to be a let down. Probably, they will be some unintended consequences for the team as a result of the Olympics and may lead to the team having at the very least, some roster changes.
Similar thing for the Jones team. The after glow of winning gold won't be as shiny as it was. St. Vital Curling Club won't have the funds to re-do the mural. Jennifer has said that she loves curling and she is going to curl as long as she can. It might be different for some of her team-mates. Again, what the Olympics is going to do more than any other Olympics is going to magnify the time commitment, the sacrifices, etc. Is everyone up for the time away from family.
A gold for Homan/Morris will guarantee John Morris will be inducted in the World Curling Hall of Fame. Three gold medals is an incredible accomplishment. But, this gold medal will always have the asterisk factor. They were "selected" to go rather than earned the spot.
Even with three gold medals, there will be no public celebrations and it will be low key at best. Right now, there are still teams disappointed with the selection of the mixed doubles team. A few weeks pass and they may look at it that they dodged a bullet. Going to the Olympics in 2022 may just be too great a risk for anyone.
I know that everyone will hope success at the Olympics will translate into growth in the sport. I don't know if that will happen. For one thing, the "establishment" hasn't figured out they feel about growth in the sport. Seriously, there is a lot of anecdotal evidence that the establishment favours their marquee players such as the selection of the mixed doubles team. Such as the addition of three wildcard teams.
The rules seem to be a line in the sand that keeps changing depending on circumstances. Yes, we are in a pandemic this year but this liberal use of rules has been going on for a while. It just isn't a good look for the curling community.
The controversy of this season is not going away, even if three medals are won. It is a new quadrennial and when teams decide to commit to another four years or when new teams emerge, they will want to know clearly and emphatically what the rules are and how they will be administered.
Yeah, I am still going to cheer for Team Canada. But, I won't be getting up to watch the 2:00 am draws. I can read the line scores when I get up. I'm just not that interested. And, I am a curling fanatic. It is not a good sign for the sport when I am just not that interested.
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