The Olympics

This is just my opinion. But let me talk you through it.
Thing one. They play football at the Olympics, but who gives flying feck at a rolling doughnut about who wins?
Don't answer that. I'll answer it. The answer is no-one. We've got the World Cup. If Papua New Guinea wins the Olympics at football, that means nothing.
Thing two. The main events in the Olympics involve running, jumping and throwing things. These aren't sports. They are activities. Most people can run or jump or throw things. I ran this morning. Nobody wanted to watch it. Yesterday I jumped over a wall. Nobody wanted to watch that either. About five minutes ago, I threw a bag of cat litter in the bin. Not a single person bought a ticket to come and see me do that.
Thing three. The country is in the middle of the worst recession in living memory, and get this, as part of the opening ceremony, they (THEY!) have commissioned a 25 foot high bell to be cast. Now, I'm not a sculptor, but bronze casting is something that I know a little bit about, just through hanging around private views at art galleries blagging a free glass of wine. You invariably meet and get into conversation with some tedious bronze casting sculptor who is forever banging on about how expensive it is and you just say something like, " Oh, really? That's terribly interesting, but, I've just seen a site specific installationist over there who I haven't spoken to in ages. I must go over and say hello. Speak to you later."
But anyway. Getting a 25 foot bell cast in bronze is going to cost a lot. It might cost a million, and if the people who make it actually do what they were paid to do, they might get paid another million as a bonus, just for doing what they were hired to do in the first place (because that seems fair). Doesn't it?