I’ve been watching television more than usual in the past two weeks, and it’s mainly for one reason.

It’s the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Every afternoon and evening it features a wide range of sports, many of which are things people can enjoy as participants for a lifetime.

The Olympics are the finest sports event in the world. They’re easily more important than the Super Bowl. They’re even more important than World Cup Soccer or baseball’s World Series.

They benefit viewers in several ways. They promote lifetime fitness. They’re a great example of sportsmanship. Also there’s the promotion of goodwill and friendship among nations.

People can swim, ride horses, ride a bicycle, go boating or do many of the other Olympic sports until an elderly age. Seeing the athletes compete makes someone more likely to try to get some form of exercise. It could help someone to stay healthy for a much longer time than if they didn’t pursue fitness.

Many Olympic sports don’t get much exposure outside of the Games. The exceptions are mainly team sports such as basketball, soccer and volleyball.There are many other sports showcased in the Olympics that deserve to be featured on sports channels more often.

The sportsmanship aspect is equally important. At the Olympics it’s more than just representing yourself or a team. The athletes also represent their countries.

Being part of Olympic competition is a great honor. Athletes dream about winning gold or getting some type of a medal, but everyone succeeds.

Just doing one’s best is what’s most important. No matter where somebody places, or no matter how they compare to the leading competitors, they act as good ambassadors. They’re always admired by the citizens back home.

The process of getting to the Olympics is not an easy one for most athletes. It takes years of training, lots of daily workouts and practices.

The two weeks of competition on the world stage are an ultimate reward. Athletes describe it as one of the greatest experiences in their lives. The years of preparation pay off.

As a large diverse group, athletes from throughout the world promote good international relations at the Olympic Games.

We have more than enough global issues in the 21st century. There’s war in the Middle East and in Ukraine. There’s hunger in many parts of the world. We have natural disasters that have been made more frequent by climate change.

The Olympics manage to rise above it, to provide a show of unity through a spirited yet peaceful set of sports events. It’s good that we’ve managed to keep the Games vital over the years, that nothing since World War II has kept them from happening.

We did have two boycotts in 1980 and 1984. Some Western countries boycotted the 1980 Olympics in Moscow over Soviet actions in Afghnistan. The Soviet bloc, in turn, boycotted the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.

I remember both situations. The Games still happened, but something was missing. It was disappointing that international tensions affected the Games. It seemed unfair to the athletes.

It’s always better when nearly the entire world comes together. It’s better when people all throughout the globe, like me in southwestern Minnesota, tune in to watch the coverage.

Sometimes I wish the Olympics could be held more often than every four years. I always remind myself that if we broke from the four year tradition the Games might not be as special.

It’s great when athletes make it to the Olympics more than once, when they continue to train four long years for the opportunity to participate a second time or third time.

Hopefully world events will stay mostly stable and the 2028 Olympics will be as successful as those of 2024 in Paris. The Olympics showcase athleticism at its finest.

— Jim Muchlinski is a longtime reporter in southwest Minnesota