Don't be a curmudgeon. The Olympics are awesome.

Relax. Have some fun. You're supposed to enjoy watching the Olympics.

The Olympics can provide thrilling entertainment.
(Image credit: Julian Finney/Getty Images)

Millions upon millions of people love the Olympics. But the Olympics have also become a sporting event that many people the world over love to hate. Every two years, whether it's the Summer or Winter Games, the same stories roll around. The Games have become too corporate! They're too focused on sponsorships! Cities ruin themselves to host the Olympics! Doping renders the competition false and meaningless!

There's some truth to these criticisms. But they're easy enough to refute, too. You need big money to put on big sporting events, cities choose (and, in fact, beg) to host the Olympics, and doping is no more nor less prevalent in the Olympics than in other major world sports.

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Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry

Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry is a writer and fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. His writing has appeared at Forbes, The Atlantic, First Things, Commentary Magazine, The Daily Beast, The Federalist, Quartz, and other places. He lives in Paris with his beloved wife and daughter.