What I Loved About This Year’s Winter Olympics
It's probably not what you think
I watched a lot of the Winter Olympics over the last two weeks.
The competition. The gorgeous scenery punctuated with bluebird skies in northern Italy, the Alps backdropping breathtaking contests among athletes from multiple countries around the world.
The United States did well, and it was thrilling to see the joy, enthusiasm, and sheer excitement the athletes demonstrated — standing on the podium, completing a trick, finishing a run.
Yes, the competition was incredible.
And let’s not forget: the USA men’s and women’s hockey teams both won gold.
I remember the Miracle on Ice game in 1980. I watched it with my family on a small color television — not HD, definitely not 4K. I don’t even know what it technically was back then. An actual tube inside a box, I suppose.
To see the men’s hockey team win again 46 years later, and then to witness the celebration honoring the player they lost a year ago in a tragic bicycling accident — it was powerful. It was beautiful.
But what I’m really taking away from the Winter Games 2026 is something else.
It’s the exhibition of love and support I witnessed among the athletes, especially the American athletes, though I saw it in others as well.
After skating, several skaters made heart signs with their hands as they left the ice.
That moment stayed with me.
To me, it defines the younger generations — Gen Z and Gen Alpha — who get so much flack (unfairly, in my opinion). The outpouring of support and visible community was undeniable.
So was the collective message of “Yes we are athletes and we are individuals, too.”
In a world increasingly defined by algorithms, how encouraging to witness the generations shaped most by digital life embracing their messy, not always perfect, sometimes heartbreaking analog existence in a steady “We ain’t playin’” way.
And it felt good.
It felt good at a time when the news cycle does not feel good. Not that it ever has, but lately it just feels… heavy. I’ve even heard the term “horizonless” tossed around, something I’ll explore in an upcoming essay.
For now, what the Olympics stand for, for me, is the purity of the human spirit going after a dream. The hard work, the dedication, the sacrifices, the disappointments. It goes beyond winning medals and representing your country.
Yes, the games exist in the modern reality of the internet and social media. But as the closing ceremony unfolded in that most ancient structure where gladiators once showed up and I reflected on the accomplishments of every athlete — and coach, parent, sibling, spouse, child — all the men and women who helped broadcast these incredible games, the host country of Italy, and again the stunning backdrop of Cortina, Milan, and the Alps...
How can you not believe in humanity after watching the Winter Olympic Games?
My cup is full.
I’m optimistic about the changes we are experiencing.
And I have a sense that good things are not only coming —
they are already here.