What’s the first Olympics you remember watching?

[davewiecking]

(Speaking of broadcasting annoyances, tonight NBCSN was supposedly to be airing curling, but they haven't yet. They're showing biathlon right now. I wanted to watch curling.)

(I watched Curling on CNBC 5-8P EST today, not NBCSN. The Countryless Competitors defeated Norway. Mixed doubles gold medal game tomorrow. I'm going by the schedule in last Wednesday's WaPo special section, and the Comcast OSG.)

[Alps]

Remember when moguls used to be big and fluffy hills with tiny jumps? Those were the days.

[slorydn1]

I remember the watching the 1976 Winter Olympics (Austria, right?) and ABC's Jim McKay re-telling the story of the massacre at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. I remember someone really busting their butt on the ski jump ramp which became the illustration of the "agony of defeat" during the opening montage of "Wide World of Sports".

I have always enjoyed the winter games a lot more than the summer games, and I have watched at least some part of every Winter Olympics since 1976, but I only really remember focusing on 1976 Montreal and 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics.

[jp the roadgeek]

I would have to say the Sarajevo Winter Olympics of 1984. I don't really remember Lake Placid (I was 4 when they took place), so 1984 would really be the first memory, as the Red Army returned to power and the US team was pretty much a no-show.  1984 was really the first year that I started following sports; we had just got cable, and I was old enough to follow and appreciate them.  I also remember LA later that year because my grandparents went; I still have the binoculars they used at the games.

[english si]

In general, I like the Winter Olympics more because I enjoy the winter sports more, although regardless of winter or summer I find it annoying whenever a "sport" depends on subjective judges' scores and not on objective criteria like who's faster or which team scores more goals/points.

Which happens more often in winter Olympic sports, than summer surely?

While Figure Skating, Freestyle Skiing and Snowboarding is only three, compared to Diving, Dressage, Gymnastics, Synchronised Swimming and Trampoline's 5, it's a higher proportion of the total events.

OK, being in the UK means that the technical, but judged on artistic quality as well, events like Figure Skating and Snowboarding are what highlights coverage focuses on at the Winter Olympics - because, Torville and Dean got what's now the older generation interested in watching the Winter Olympics for more than laughing at Eddie the Eagle and X-Games stuff gets the younger crowd interested. Obviously, the other events make the highlights package*, but whereas you get 15 minutes of the hour highlights program each on figure skating and stunts-on-snow (even when the focus is the Canadian team of skaters or that young American snowboarder), to get that much on other sports you'll need major British interest (a medal especially)** or some big story - eg the 5-minute feature/interviews they did on the all-Korea women's ice hockey team will be the most that sport gets covered in a day outside the live coverage.

*Skiing and the luge/bob/skeleton track typically getting more of the remaining time than other activities.
**though British coverage is less partisan than US coverage.

[route17fan]

Lake Placid, NY - 1980

[1995hoo]

In general, I like the Winter Olympics more because I enjoy the winter sports more, although regardless of winter or summer I find it annoying whenever a "sport" depends on subjective judges' scores and not on objective criteria like who's faster or which team scores more goals/points.

Which happens more often in winter Olympic sports, than summer surely?

....

Probably true, but I never said I watch (or even try to watch) everything!

[Rothman]

Sarajevo, 1984.  Scott Hamilton winning the gold.

[triplemultiplex]

The '92 Dream Team.  They looked like the Harlem Globetrotters against everyone.

[jwolfer]

1976 Montreal Summer Olympics... My granny was visiting us in NJ from Florida.. I think Hurricane Belle passed very during the time of the Olympics. 

Z981

[NWI_Irish96]

1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, back when Yugoslavia still existed.

[formulanone]

I would have to say the Sarajevo Winter Olympics of 1984.

1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, back when Yugoslavia still existed.

Same here, although I only vaguely remember it because my grandmother wanted to watch figure skating. The fact that it was in Yugoslavia was curious to me (because as a kid, that spot on the map looked like Sarah-Jee-Vo). I recall a bobsled race or two, and that's it. Can't remember you who was in it and who won what. Later that year, the Summer Olympics in LA, and our summer camp made a big deal out of it. After the day was done, we'd watch it on TV.

Kind of stopped caring about it all around 1996 or so, as the corny commercial hype in between the pre-packaged (in-)action sort of dulled me. Sort of became more interested in the Olympics past decade or so.

As I get older, I think I do like the Winter Olympics more; without having really performed many winter sporting activities, they're kind of fascinating in a way.

[PHLBOS]

The Helsinki Olympics.  They weren't shown live but they did have highlights everyday.

You're either the oldest one here or are recollecting the Movietone News clips of those Olympics shown on one episode of M*A*S*H during the show's 6th Season (1977-1978). 

I remember the watching the 1976 Winter Olympics (Austria, right?) and ABC's Jim McKay re-telling the story of the massacre at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. I remember someone really busting their butt on the ski jump ramp which became the illustration of the "agony of defeat" during the opening montage of "Wide World of Sports".

Spanning the globe to give you the constant variety of sports.  The thrill of victory... the agony of defeat.

IIRC, that Agony of Defeat clip dates back to either 1968 (I don't believe the clip is from the Grenoble Olympics) or 1969.  ABC Sports started using it in their opening montage circa 1970.  About 15(?) years later ABC Sports interviewed that ski jumper who was from then-Czechoslavakia (now Czech Republic) in a special retrospective presentation.

Back to the subject at hand: I didn't really become aware of the Olympics until the 1976 summer games in Montreal.  I remember seeing kids/peers wearing Montreal 1976 t-shirts at the time.

Although in later years my mother told me that while watching a movie at a local theater during the '72 Munich games (I was a bit too young (6) to recall those games, but do remember hearing of the name of Mark Spitz being talked about); the one running the projector actually stopped the movie and made an announcement of the massacre.

I periodically watched the subsequent games (Lake Placid 1980, Sarajevo 1984, LA 1984) but I really didn't start making a point of watching the games until Calgary 1988 (ABC's & Jim McKay's last Olympic Games broadcast).  Such was largely due to my having my own TV in my campus apartment at the time (I was in my senior year).

[michravera]

The Helsinki Olympics.  They weren't shown live but they did have highlights everyday.

You're either the oldest one here or are recollecting the Movietone News clips of those Olympics shown on one episode of M*A*S*H during the show's 6th Season (1977-1978). 

I remember the watching the 1976 Winter Olympics (Austria, right?) and ABC's Jim McKay re-telling the story of the massacre at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. I remember someone really busting their butt on the ski jump ramp which became the illustration of the "agony of defeat" during the opening montage of "Wide World of Sports".

Spanning the globe to give you the constant variety of sports.  The thrill of victory... the agony of defeat.

IIRC, that Agony of Defeat clip dates back to either 1968 (I don't believe the clip is from the Grenoble Olympics) or 1969.  ABC Sports started using it in their opening montage circa 1970.  About 15(?) years later ABC Sports interviewed that ski jumper who was from then-Czechoslavakia (now Czech Republic) in a special retrospective presentation.

Back to the subject at hand: I didn't really become aware of the Olympics until the 1976 summer games in Montreal.  I remember seeing kids/peers wearing Montreal 1976 t-shirts at the time.

Although in later years my mother told me that while watching a movie at a local theater during the '72 Munich games (I was a bit too young (6) to recall those games, but do remember hearing of the name of Mark Spitz being talked about); the one running the projector actually stopped the movie and made an announcement of the massacre.

I periodically watched the subsequent games (Lake Placid 1980, Sarajevo 1984, LA 1984) but I really didn't start making a point of watching the games until Calgary 1988 (ABC's & Jim McKay's last Olympic Games broadcast).  Such was largely due to my having my own TV in my campus apartment at the time (I was in my senior year).
...

Vinko Bogataj as I said earlier. It was in one of the "lead up" events to the Olympics in early 1968.

[Henry]

Los Angeles, 1984

[dcharlie]

Mark Spitz, 1972, Munich

[ixnay]

Grenoble '68, vaguely, and only because my dad had them on.  The only detail I remember was the Leo Arnaud theme and seeing an Olympic pennant on the slalom course and telling my folks "Let's get one of those!"  I was 6 and a half.  As for Mexico City, I only remember seeing promos on the Alphabet for it that summer but didn't watch a minute (by then my folks were divorced and mom and I were living in an apartment, and in fact I didn't watch sports on my own until I was almost ten).  I didn't know about Smith and Carlos until I was about 11 and saw their famous picture in middle school.

ixnay

[Desert Man]

The 1984 Summer olympics in Los Angeles not far from me in Indio CA. I was able to remember my parents won free food (every time the US won a gold or other medal) in McDs and they were selling the offficial 1984 LA mascot Uncle Sam eagle ball caps. Note I was 4 years old at the time and my memory was developing to have permanent memories, like the various sports events on TV and the opening as well closing olympics ceremonies.

[SP Cook]

Vague memories of 72.  The Olympics were different back then.  Since RR won the Cold War, and they started paying the athletes, it is just a collection of goofy sports.  I don't get the whole nationalism for nationalism's sake deal. 

[MisterSG1]

Vague memories of 72.  The Olympics were different back then.  Since RR won the Cold War, and they started paying the athletes, it is just a collection of goofy sports.  I don't get the whole nationalism for nationalism's sake deal.

I agree with you on that, but that's what keeps viewers interested. If it were athletes competing as individuals, sadly no one would watch. (Interestingly, despite how corrupt the IOC is, on their website, they do not acknowledge or mention medal tables whatsoever)

Nationalism defined by who can swim faster across a pool? It's actually sickening if you think about it. Worse is when irrational thinking gets involved in it, like Bob Costas of NBC in the whole Michael Johnson and Donovan Bailey fastest man controversy that he himself started over a claim in which anyone who understands anything about track would get.


I may dislike the royals, but Prince Harry's Invictus Games are how I wish the Olympics were treated. Invictus Games are contested between wounded soldiers, and in these games, there are medal ceremonies but no national anthems, and I didn't see one medal table while it happened.

[dvferyance]

1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville France.

[Billy F 1988]

Bits and pieces of the 1998 Nagano games when Eric "Air Bergy" Bergoust dominated aerial freestyle ski jumping and medaled. Bergoust is a Missoula native whose now with family and coaching future aerial freestyle jumpers for the 2022 Winter Olympics, which I have no idea where that will be.

[Big John]

which I have no idea where that will be.

Beijing China