Why we go crazy for the Olympics

Yesterday morning, the USA Hockey Team defeated the Canadian Hockey Team in overtime at the gold medal match in the 2026 Winter Olympics. Fans across the United States woke up early (8 am EST) to watch in their homes, bars and watch parties around the country. The Olympics is a global phenomenon that happens every 2 years (Summer every 4 years and winter every 4 years, staggered by 2 years). So why do sports watchers and non-sports watchers alike go crazy for the Olympics? I would argue it's because of two main reasons; national identity is tapped into, and the general population (sports watchers and non-sports watchers alike) love a good comeback story.


Doesn't matter your politics, conservative, liberal, or moderate, if you were born and raised somewhere, there is a shared national pride over the country you reside. Take the USA for example, politically we are as divided as we've ever been, but when a team USA athlete takes home the gold in an event, there is a shared feeling of "that's our athlete." This is why Hockey fans and non-Hockey fans woke up early yesterday morning to view the gold medal match and there was a set of country pride when the US won in overtime. Conversely, Ilia Malinin was a heavy favorite to win the men's single's event with his signature quadruple axel. He failed to complete his attempt at this move in the free skate and fell not just out of first, but off the podium overall. He later said the pressure of being the favorite got to him and his mistake was all mental. Falling off the podium broke figure skating fans hearts. Why do we feel so much for an athlete in the Olympics when they don't "win" or medal? Our national identity is tied to the performance of this athlete, kind of like how die-hard sports fans local or "team" identity is tied to their favorite team.


Human beings are wired to cheer for an underdog story. This is embedded in our wiring from cheering for Rudy in the movie "Rudy" because he was not supposed to be a good football player and made a tackle in a high-level football game or even the "Miracle on Ice" game in 1980. A lot of hype around this current USA Hockey Team stems from the fact that USA hasn't gotten gold in this event since the underdog "Miracle" USA Hockey Team won the event in 1980. This team transcended sports because of the political implications of what was going on in the world at the time, between Russia invading Afghanistan and the Cold War amid US and Russia. The semi-final match between the USA and Russia felt like more than a game, it felt like a political duel and a Hockey match all at the same time. The USA was, based on Vegas odds, 1000-1 to win gold, the US had a bunch of high-level amateurs from college Hockey and in a previous exhibition prior to the Olympics, Russia beat the US 10-3. Russia on the other hand was a finely tuned machine; they had won 4 of the last 5 gold medals in the event, they had many NHL players, and many of them had been playing together for 15+ years. This was the mismatch of the century, and when the US was tied with Russia 2-2 at the end of the first period it gave them hope. They carried this all the way to the third period, and when down 3-2 scored 2 goals in the period to take the lead and hold on for the win. This underdog story, which I was not alive for, is still talked about to this day as one of the greatest upsets and games in sports history. Capped off by the famous call by Al Michaels as time expired "Do you believe in Miracles... Yes!"


National identity and narratives are what drives fans to watch the Olympics even though it only happens every couple of years. "Team" identity really is at the crux of sports, and even if you don't have a team, you have a national identity, and your country is your "Team." Narrative or storytelling is also at the crux of sports, and we are all wired to love a good comeback story. This is what makes for some of the greatest moments in sports and in life. Some of our most inspiring figures in the limelight have come from nothing, or have been beaten down, all to make a name for themselves. This is what makes the Olympics so great, most athletes had to work hand over fist to get to where they are and compete at peak human performance.

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