How the Olympics Raise Respect and Appeal for Normally Unappreciated Sports

There aren't many people who could call themselves diehard track and field fans, or swimming fans, or gymnastics fans or diehard fans of any other miscellaneous Olympic sport.

That is, until the Olympic Games roll around.

The majority of people would have no idea who won the 100-meter dash at the 2010 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships (Walter Dix), nor would they know who won the individual all-around competition at the 2009 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships (Bridget Sloan).

But everybody knows who won the gold medal in the 100-meter dash at the 2008 Beijing Games (Usain Bolt), as well as who won the women's individual all-around champion that same year (Nastia Liukin).

That is the beauty of the Olympic Games. 

Every four years for a period of two weeks, the entire world is captivated by the massive gathering of the best athletes the world has to offer.

The Olympics give lesser-known and normally unappreciated sports the chance to showcase the best talents that can be offered.

Such events as track and field, swimming and gymnastics don't have a shot at competing with mainstream sports like football, basketball, baseball or even hockey on a daily basis.

People grew up, huddled around their televisions, watching one of the four major sports with their families. Track and field, swimming and gymnastics were afterthoughts—if they were even thoughts at all.

Olympic competition levels the playing field. It provides the "lesser" sports a chance to get on television and draw an audience. Most Olympic sports don't have the financial means to go head-to-head with the NFL, NBA, MLB or NHL, but the Olympic Games provide those means.

Television networks know how much money can be made off of the Olympics, so the events get aired to the public throughout the day and during prime time.

NBC spent $1.3 billion to get these Olympic Games on television. Say what you want about the network's poor coverage and viewer-unfriendly programming, but what matters is that the events get on television.

It gives the sports that seemingly don't matter a chance to be consumed by the general public—and the general public eats it up.

The Olympic Games turn into a war between countries. Many people in the United States want nothing more than to finish ahead of China in the overall medal count. The opposite probably goes for many Chinese citizens.

This battle between countries makes sure that every event counts and also guarantees that people will be watching. Teenage girls flipping and spinning around in the air wouldn't keep the attention of many people for too long, but the Olympic Games give them no choice but to watch—and watch they do.

The Olympics give people a reason to cheer for individual athletes. In professional sports, a person's favorite team isn't going anywhere. That is what makes it so easy for a franchise to build a following.

In individual sports, it is much harder. It is tougher to pull for an individual athlete because he or she will fall back into the shadows within a matter of years.

That all changes in the Olympic Games. The Olympics merge individual competition and nationalism perfectly, allowing fans to pull for the athlete as well as their own country.

There is a revitalized sentiment of national pride during the two-week period of Olympic competition. Amateur athletes become legends because of what they accomplish on the world's biggest stage.

Without the Olympic Games, and the media frenzy that goes hand-in-hand, awe-inspiring sports like track and field, swimming and gymnastics would have no medium.