Five Reasons Why the Winter Olympics are Better than You Thought They'd be

The Winter Olympics are a lot like Rodney Dangerfield, as they "Don't get no respect".

Living in the shadow of the Summer Olympic Games can't be easy. I suppose it's a lot like being Dom DiMaggio. You've done pretty well for yourself, but your big brother is always getting all the attention.

But once every four years, the Winter Olympics do something incredible. They captivate millions of people around the world, many of which spent the weeks leading up to the Games complaining about how boring they would be.

So, why are the Winter Olympics better than you thought they'd be? Let's take a closer look.

Vancouver is a beautiful city

Despite some unfortunate mishaps during the Games, the city of Vancouver has proven to be one of the most beautiful and under-appreciated cities in the world.

If you could had to choose one word to describe the events of the Winter Olympic Games, the best choice just might be the word "beautiful'.

From the pure grace and beauty of a Evengi Plushenko quadruple toe loop to the raw beauty of a Shaun White double McTwist 1260, the Winter Olympics exude numerous examples of beauty.

And the city of Vancouver, with its snow-capped mountains in the distance, provides the picture perfect background to compliment the beauty of the Winter Olympic Games.

Vancouver has long been Canada's secret. In my opinion, too few people were aware of just how big and beautiful a city it really is.

Some great stories have emerged

Just six days into the 2010 games, some incredible stories have already emerged.

Perhaps the best is that of Canadian Alexandre Bilodeau, who brought Canada its first home gold medal and dedicated his performance to his best friend and inspiration, Frederic, his older brother who suffers from cerebral palsy.

Then there is the story of Hannah Kearney, who redeemed her disappointing 2006 Olympic performance by bringing home the first American gold of 2010 in the Women's freestyle skiing aerials.

American poster girl, Lindsey Vonn, has battled through a severe shin injury and with a little help from the weather, got healthy in time to take home gold in the women's downhill.

American speed skater Apolo Ohno took silver after a South Korean slip up, tying him with the great Bonnie Blair for the most career medals won by American Winter Olympic athlete.

With a whole week left before the Games wrap up, one can only guess what great stories have yet to emerge.

Many of the events are a lot more exciting than you thought

One common complaint about the Winter Games is that the events are all boring.

While I can understand why some may not be able to get into figure skating or cross-county skiing, there are some events that you simply cannot take your eyes off of.

Freestyle skiing moguls, with its intense skiing and high flying jumps, is quickly becoming a Winter Olympic favorite.

Snowboard cross, which can only be described as roller derby on snowboards, is as exciting of an event as you will find anywhere.

The speed and intensity of luge and skeleton are hard to match.

Short track speed skating is noted for its speed, excitement, and strategy.

With some of the Games most popular events, including ski jumping, still yet to debut, things are only going to get more exciting.

Heck, even curling is a lot more interesting than anyone thought.

The gorgeous people of the Olympic Games

Another reason the Games are better than you thought is because of all the beautiful people.

With beauties like Lindsey Vonn, Julia Mancuso, Chemmy Alcott, Lacy Schnoor, Allison Baver, Kiira Korpi and Gretchen Bleiler participating in the games, it's nearly impossible to watch any Winter Olympic event without seeing a beautiful woman or two.

And ladies, don't feel left out. Bode Miller, Seth Wescott, Dale Begg-Smith, Simon Fourcade, and others provide you with plenty of eye candy as well.

For a closer look at some of the beauties of the 2010 games, use the Bleacher Report search engine to access photo and video slideshows.

There is something special about rooting on your home country

There is something about international competition that can't be matched. The emotion involved in rooting for the country you love is something that can't be matched by any other experience as a sports fan.

It's what makes the World Cup great. It's what makes the Summer Olympics great. It's what makes the Winter Olympics great as well.

You can see the emotion in the intensity of the current cross-country skiing rivalry between the Swedes and the Norwegians.

You can feel the emotion in the anticipation of the U.S.A.-Canada hockey showdown that everyone expects.

You could hear the emotion in the celebration of the Canadian fans as they celebrated the glory of winning gold for the first time on home soil.

National pride. That's the biggest reason why the Winter Olympics are better than you thought they'd be.