Have you been keeping up with the Olympic trials? We certainly have—they transform July into one giant countdown to the Opening Ceremonies on July 27!
Our July issue has plenty of Olympic-centric books: our cover story with Chris Cleave, a collection of great Olympic nonfiction (including a guide for watching the Games) and even an Olympic mystery for kids.
This week, we’re giving away three books! Two to get you in the competitive spirit and one to get you excited about the 2012 host city, London.
Gold by Chris Cleave
Dream Team by Jack McCallum
I Never Knew That About London by Christopher Winn
TO ENTER: Leave a comment telling us why you watch the Olympics.
CONTEST DETAILS: One winner will be chosen by random.org from among entries received by 5 pm CST on Friday, July 13. The winner will receive copies of Dream Team by Jack McCallum and Gold by Chris Cleave. Prize must be shipped to a North American address, and Rhode Island residents are not eligible. (Full contest rules here.) Good luck!
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Congrats to our winner, Joan! She loves to watch the Olympic swimmers and tries “to pick up pointers.”
Thank you to all who entered! Contest is now closed.
There is nothing better than the medal ceremony. Watching an athlete that has trained their whole life break down with tears of joy as their native flag is raised and their anthem is sung for the whole world to see and for that moment and forever after they are know as an Olympic gold medalist.
I watch the Olympics because I am a klutz. I bask in my imagined grace-that I could compete as an athlete.
Also, as a non-athlete, watching sports once every two years is about all I can take.
Give me a book anytime!
Because I like to watch the different countries young people compete. Especially the United States. It is not just about the games, but the cultures from the different countries that is televised, and sometimes the camaraderie’s, the competitiveness of the individuals that are shared.
To appreciate the athlete’s hard work and perseverance.
Love the athleticism.
Besides the sheer athletic excellence of the events, my favorite parts are the opening and closing ceremonies. Every country puts its own spin on the ceremonies and the athletes are the celebrities AND the fans! They all have their own country’s signature ceremony uniforms on but they’re also collecting pins from other countries and taking photos/videos as they participate.
Although I’m a non-athelete, I appreciate seeing the best atheletes in the world competing against one another.
I like watching talented people who are at the top of their game perform. And I always feel a little more patriotic and even more proud to be an American as I watch our athletes compete.
I watch the Olympics because the thrill of competition mixed with the pride I feel when my country pulls out a win is something that can’t be beat! GO CANANDA GO!!
I love watching all those young, healthy people compete. I’m almost inspired to go to the gym.
For two weeks every four years there’s a time when I truly feel patriotic. Unfortunate but true.
I enjoy watching and trying to guess who will win. Men’s swimming is cool. All those hot guys in swim trunks! Yes!
I also enjoy gymnastics. Reminds me of better days when I could do that stuff. Now I’m old and suffer from chronic pain.
I went to B&N a while back looking for I NEVER KNEW THAT ABOUT LONDON. They didn’t have it. Fingers crossed!
As a slow-fat-triathlete and 1/2 marathoner, I truly appreciate the skills that these athletes have. Sometimes I can’t even dedicate myself to finish a book I’m not digging, yet these athelete’s dedicate themselves to years of training to knock .02 seconds off their times in order to compete in the Olympic games. Blows me away.
I love the Olympics. I love watching and learning about strange and obscure sports that people work so long & hard to excel at. I love watching favorites perform under pressure to win and I love underdogs coming out of nowhere to achieve the impossible, or at least the unpredictible.
The Thrill of Victory! The Agony of Defeat! Seriously, that whole awesome commercial.
The Olympics show me year after year that in life you have the opportunity to take the leap and soar if you chose. I love listening to the back stories telling how the athletes got to where they are on the world stage.
I love to watch the athletes who have all trained so long to get an opportunity to represent their country in the Olympics. Its amazing to see young people who have spent most of their lives working for this goal. I also feel very patriotic when the US wins a medal.
I watch the Olympics because I am in awe of how talented people are.
Watching all those talented, dedicated people!
I will be watching as much as I can. I love watching all of the events but I also like to hear about the personal and inspiring stories of the individual athletes.
I enjoy watching the back stories that illustrate the effort, struggles and sometimes hardships that it has taken to get the athlete to the point where she is competing in the Olympics.
I watch the Olympics because I admire the persistence and endurance of the athletes. They work so hard & I actually wish they all could win! But-I also root for the US athletes!
My husband and son were both swimmers so we love to watch that as well as most of the other events. Excellence is great to watch. These athletes are, on the whole, clean cut Americans whose values are in sync with what America was built on.
I like the opening ceremony and the sense of anticipation. My favorite events are gymnastics and swimming.
Because I get weepy when the US wins medals and they play the national anthem!
I like watching the swimming – I’m a swimmer and I try to pick up pointers.
I love to watch all the events. I especially like the events you don’t often see–rowing, water polo, beach volleyball, court volleyball, diving– just to name a few!
It’s exciting to me,and plus all their hard work and training,to see the dreams and hopes come true,you want to root for all,alas,USA in my pick,but to see these people with their grace,and hope…I enjoy it all.
I watch because, as klutz extraordinaire, I can’t imagine being graceful enough to compete nationally.
To see USA win the gold medals!
I watch because I love to see the best of the best compete and I love rooting for the U.S.
I like everything about it, the work that goes into the opening and closing ceremonies and the abilities of all the athletes, winners and losers.
Male swimmers’ bodies!!!!
I like watching different events that are in the Olympics only. It makes it more fun when our country is featured as a underdog and then we overcome the obstacles to win.
I love the pageantry of the opening ceremonies. And the stories about the athletes.
Love to watch people fulfill there dreams.
I watch the Olympics to see the dedication, perseverance and love of sport of the athletes
I watch because I love the way it brings the countries of the world together. At least sport is one thing we can all appreciate about each other.
I love the olympics, I think that it brings all nations together with a sense of fun and enjoyment! The athletes of the world work hard just to
get to the Olympics and I think they deserve the world watching them!
The Olympics appeal to my competitive streak and fond childhood dreams of being one of these totally cool athletes. The only thing that I remain competitive at these days is Scrabble, not an Olympic sport !
I love watching the Olympics because it so engaging to see how beautiful the human body is & what they are capable of doing. Even though i will never be able to perform like the olympians it inspires me to keep trying & never give up.
Second to reading, watching the summer Olympics is one of the top most fun things to do in the summertime. The athletes are inspiring in their form, dedication and talent.
I love to feel the national unity that permeates as a result of the games.
I have loved watching the Olympics since I was a kid. I love the spirit of the Games, seeing athletes live their dream, watching sports I seldom see anywhere else, plus learning about other cultures. I am really looking forward to watching with my kids this year. I think they may catch the Spirit too
I love the drama – knowing the athletes worked years to get to the Olympics and the test takes place in a matter of moments.
I love seeing the power of the human spirit. The backgrounds of the athletes are always so inspirational!
I’ve watched the Olympics since I was a little girl, it’s tradition!!
I love the sportmanship and the pride all the people show for their country and for everyone else.
Am a sports nut so I really enjoy the Oympics.
I love the opening ceremonies and can’t wait to see the show that London will put on.
I’ve watched the Olympics for many years now, and do so enjoy them. I get a thrill when an American wins the gold medal and our national anthem is played!
I never before asked myself why I watch the Olympics.I guess I do for various reasons. The opening ceremony is always beautiful and always different depending on the host. As for the actual sports, I love to root for the US. Sometimes I find the Olympic events exciting, sometimes dramatic, usually fun.
The best versus the best. Let’s forget the taint the games have had over the years (Hitler, Munich, steroids) and enjoy them.
I love to watch the Olympics because the best athletes compete in a very tense atmosphere where they are dared to perform in front of the whole world.
To see opening ceremonies from foreign countries and learn about their customs and history and to see the most beautiful parts of the country is incredible. T o hear the background stories on our and their athletes is usually most interesting.
I’ve watched the Olympics since I was a little girl because I’m always amazed by their grace. The ice skaters have always been my favorite.
I watched the Olympics because I am inspire by all the hardworking athletes who tries their best to fight for their country.
I watch the Olympics for the gymnastics. It’s amazing what those young athletes can do!