The Winter Olympics are on in Pyeongchang, South Korea, and it’s one of the only times I actually watch regular television. We got rid of cable years ago and hardly ever watch network TV, preferring instead Netflix and Amazon Prime. And, I have to say, I don’t miss network TV at all. I mean, it’s the most frustrating thing to have two minutes of commercials literally every two minutes, not to mention the constant yammering on of the commentators. I wish they added value but they just don’t. Take figure skating, for example. We often wonder what music they’re skating to but no one ever says. In fact, we can barely hear the music over the incessant talking between the two commentators.
While we’re on the subject of figure skating, let me say it’s my favorite Olympic sport to watch but I never get to see it because it’s on too late. I guess maybe if I lived in a different time zone but, for now, I have to read about it on social media and search in vain for video clips of what I missed. It’s sad.
It got me thinking… would it be different if I was more into all the sports, instead of just interested in skating? What if they made wine into an Olympic sport? A few years ago, Netflix released a documentary called, “SOMM.” It followed several young people who were studying for the dreaded and prestigious sommelier exam. The exam has several parts, if I understand correctly, and through the film, we were able to be flies on the wall for some portions of it. They have to prove they can serve wine, and they are given tables to wait on. They also have to prove they can identify wine in a blind taste test, and there is a written exam. Much of the process is in secret, but what if it wasn’t?
I would totally watch people try to taste. We could see the score on the screen or maybe even the answers at the end. We could watch them botch a table service or drop a tray, just like when skiers wipe-out on the slopes. We could get behind these would-be master sommeliers, just as we do the athletes. I think I could be on to something!
The commercials would be much more interesting to watch, to me, since they’d likely be about food and wine. Plus, the stories that accompanied the wine Olympic games would be more interesting to me. They’re filming the next installment of “SOMM” now. I can’t wait to see what’s in store. My own “winolympics.” Cheers!