Gold Plated...

So the Olympics are over. I wrote before that I didn't think I'd watch, that it was just too hard right now to be all rah rah rah USA. And I was right, it was too hard and I didn't watch.

I, of course, still got a ton of Olympics news in my life. Who won what, who cheated at curling, who cheated on their girlfriend, who got engaged, who did and did not make their jumps, all the important things.

And I did come close to regretting not watching. The women's hockey team has been on a tear lately. Just amazing. And the Olympics were no different. Barn burners all the way to the Gold Medal Game. Then...they almost lost it to Canada. Canada the dreaded foe from up north. The final boss battle in every hockey tournament, at least in Canada's mind. And the women pulled out a victory in OT. And I did not watch the game. I was a little sad, but the women have medaled in multiple Olympics, including gold medals so I'm back to happy for them but...

Then the men's team made it to the Gold Medal Game. Against Canada. And...well in hockey there are a lot of sayings around wins and losses. You have to have puck luck as well as skill. And sometimes a goalie can steal a game. That's what happened. No puck luck for Canada and the US goalie flat out stole that game. In OT. I mean...come on. In World Juniors the USA team has taken it a few times, but hasn't been able to put it together in the Olympics since 1980. I was regretting not watching.

Right up until the video from the locker room came out. Kash Patel drinking beer and celebrating with the team while Toby Fucking Keith sang one of his most obnoxious songs in the background and the president denigrating the women's win IN THE EXACT SAME WAY THE MEN WON BUT MORE DOMINATING ON THE WAY TO THAT GAME and the team laughing along with him. And I was back to...yeah. I made the right call.

Now, I am going to give more grace to the men's team than I am the president about the joke. They were celebrating a huge win. They were all in very good spirits. They might not have caught just exactly what he was saying when he said he'd have to invite the women as well, I know at least one of the players shouted out 2 for 2 so he, at least, wasn't disrespecting the women, but laughing along as the president goes on to say he'd be impeached if he didn't and downplays the women's team isn't a good look. And I mean the Hughes brothers' mother is with the women's team and they should really know better and probably do and maybe they just didn't hear him correctly but...celebrating with Kash Patel, listening to Toby Keith. The president making that joke. All of it. Just dripping with politics and ick at that point.

Whatever Trump touches rots. And he can't help but make himself the story. So he made it rotten.

But as things go, the reward the men's team gets for laughing along with him as he made jokes and made himself the center of the celebration is they are going to the State of the Union address. The women's team that he was going to "have to bring as well" politely declined due to prior commitments. The men though will sit there for however many hours Trump rambles on and lies about everything he's done and probably tells a story about how those big men, strong men, with tears in their eyes all told him "sir, sir, we couldn't have done this without you", all while still hungover from their celebration in Miami last night. Sorry, boys, you brought it on yourselves.

I respect the work the athletes have put in. I celebrate all of their victories and am so disappointed for those that missed out on wins. And I appreciate that the women's team had prior engagements preventing them from being props in his speech.

I also have a prior engagement that will prevent me from watching his speech. I mean, I really do have something else I am going to be doing, but even if I didn't, I would have found something.

Anything.

Ick.