Published: August 24, 2008 07:35 pm         

Giggenbach goes for the gold, but gets the lead medal instead

This Side of the Fence column

Did anyone else notice a marked change in the attitudes of some of the athletes competing in the 2008 Beijing Olympics this year?

I sure did. Jamaica’s Usain Bolt, who is now not only the fastest man on earth, but also has the most appropriate last name on the earth, earned three gold medals this year and set world records in the 100 meters and 200 meters. The image of Bolt stretching out his arms and pointing to the sky after yet another world-record dash to the finish line, I believe, has set the tone for a new age in the Olympics — the age of individual marketing.

I’m not exactly sure what message the sprinter was trying to convey with the pose — it looked as if he was emulating a lightning bolt and redirecting back to the heavens — but the media loved it and his bodybuilding pose will forever become one of the lasting images of the 2008 Olympics.

At first, I was taken aback by the antics of the confident sprinter because he appeared to be making a mockery at the spirit of competing against his fellow athletes, but that quickly wore off as I began to lighten up a little. In fact, I began to lighten up just about the time Bolt began dancing a little jig, which apparently is the new dance craze in Jamaica. He was having fun and enjoying the moment and I was having fun watching an Olympic athlete dance a jig in front of an audience of billions.

Moreover, the next time I watched one of his races, I wanted to see more dancing. Who knows, maybe he would throw a little flat foot jig in there. Yes, I was caught up in Bolt-mania and I’m sure that Bolt knew exactly what he was doing.

The Olympics have become big business with billions of dollars being allocated by corporate sponsors each year, like McDonald’s, which basically amounts to advertising. Other companies not found on the official list of sponsors, such as Anheuser-Bush, the makers of Budweiser — cash in on the Olympics through huge marketing efforts as well. This money drives the Olympics and Bolt will pick up a huge payday when these same corporations come knocking at his door.

How many gold medals a sprinter could win on a diet of Big Macs and beer is a paradoxical question worth pondering, but lest I digress.

Furthermore, I would be terribly remiss in my duties as a world-renowned columnist by failing to correct a bone-headed mistake I made in last week’s column about the Olympics. For some odd reason, I referred to eight-time gold medal winner Michael Phelps as “Mark Phelps.” An astute reader quickly phoned one of my bosses to point out my error, to which I’m quite grateful.

While writing the piece, I wanted to include a reference about Mark Spitz, who had received seven gold medals for swimming in 1972, but I was stymied for the proper flow of words. I guess the first name just stuck with me. My middle name is Mark also, but I can’t blame the error on that. I just made a mistake. For this, I have given myself the dreaded “Lead Medal,” which is only given out on special occasions.

According to the Olympic International Committee, the United States won the overall medal count 110 to 100 over China, but the Chinese bested the U.S. in gold medals by picking up 51 to our 36. Thank goodness for “Michael Phelps.”

Will each gold medal winner go on to fame and fortune now that the Olympic flame has been dimmed? Of course not, but many of them will be appearing on a cereal box at your local grocery store sometime soon. I do know this: The quiet, solemn athletes who won gold will not have the same opportunity to be on that cereal box. That’s just business. And somewhere out there in this big, big world is a young sprinter who will someday break Usain Bolt’s record. I hope he dances a flat foot at those Olympics. Carpe Diem, everybody; have a great week.

— Christian lives in Greenbrier County and has never won a gold medal.

E-mail: cgiggenbach@register-herald.com