Revisiting the 1984 Summer Olympics

In 1984 my husband and I attended the Opening Ceremony of the Summer Olympics, held in Los Angeles California. That was the year of the Soviet led boycott, Sam the Olympic Eagle, and John Moffet’s injury during the 100-meter breast-stroke.

During the Olympic trials Moffet set a world record for the 100-meter breast-stroke. Many felt he was the favorite for the gold, but the injury altered the outcome, in spite of Moffet’s courageous efforts. It wasn’t his first Olympic disappointment. He’d made the Olympic team in 1980, yet that was the year the United States boycotted the summer games.

Sports reporting is not my forte. Those Olympic stars I am able to recall have normally been featured on the boxes of Wheaties or gained such media acclaim that it would be impossible not to recognize their names.

As for Moffet, he was the grandson of one of my father’s business partners, and I recall the excitement and pride his grandparents passed on to my mother and father. While I never met the swimmer, I found myself cheering for his success, and when hearing of his injury, it was as if the home team had lost the pendant. Since I’m not usually a sports fan, I am not really sure what a pendant is, yet I think I understand how it feels for the fans when one is lost.

That year my husband and I were given tickets to the Opening Ceremony through his work, along with tickets to several events. My husband had a business trip scheduled during the days of the games, which took him to Chicago. That meant we’d only be attending one event, aside from the opening.

One thing I recall about the Opening Ceremony was the difficulty we had in finding a parking space. We drove around for so long, that we actually considered missing the event. I don’t remember how we eventually found a space, yet I do recall being exceedingly grateful that we weren’t foolish enough to miss a once in a lifetime opportunity over inconvenient parking.

There wasn’t a lot of patriotism in 1984, yet when the United States Olympic athletes entered the arena, I experienced a surge of patriotism and pride. I enjoyed that feeling, and yearned for more.

Olympic tickets seemed to be easy to come by in 1984. The sporting event we did attend was volleyball and it wasn’t a packed house. Had we not gone to Chicago that week, there would have been other tickets coming our way. I often wondered if the seemingly surplus of event tickets had something to do with the boycotts, or if it is not uncommon for Olympic event tickets to be easily obtained by the local communities. Although, I suspect with China’s population, event tickets may be a little sparse this year.

You may be drawn into the 2008 games as a passionate spectator, or perhaps you will be a casual observer. It is possible the days will pass and you will not watch a single event. Yet, take a moment and recognize the efforts of those Olympic athletes, who work and sacrifice for the possibility of the elusive gold. And all of those competitors, even the most talented, can have their efforts thwarted by political boycotts and injury.