Olympic Withdrawl

Less than 24 hours ago, the London Olympic games packed up and  sent  athletes heading home with dreams of "coulda" and "shoulda," while others get ready to cash in on their accomplishments.  The games always capture my attention on several points:
1. Relatively unknowns become household names after their Olympic exposure.
We now know the intimate stories of people like Missy Franklin, Ryan Lochte, Gabby Douglas, Oscar Pistorius, David Boudia and you can probably name a few more.  They are now national heroes and ready for their own cereal box.
2.  Epic performances from the champions we expect to show up.  Michael Phelps, the basketball teams, foreign soccer,  Chinese divers and gymnasts and those incredible Jamican sprinters.  You want to see them perform at a high level and they seldom disappoint.
3. Favorites you don't want to miss.  Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh, three time gold medalists!  Not only did they dominate the sport for 12 years but they NEVER lost an Olympic match! Wowsers! In each game there was point when I felt they were capable of losing, only to rebound and gather the composure to close out strong.   Beach volleyball is two people who at one moment look forlorn after a spike in their face and have  their opponent screaming at the top of their lungs and the next having to stand up from a great dig and ready yourself for a game changing kill.  There is no time for moping or feeling sorry for a bad play.  You get up and forget it.  A wonderful expression of competition.
4. How about dumping professional sport events from the Olympics? I don't need to see an NBA or WNBA all-star team playing against NBA all-stars from another country.  I want to watch competitors from around the world compete in sports that we can only watch every four years!  How about rowing, gymnastics, track and field competition, platform diving.  These are athletes that dedicate so much of their lives in refining their skills for a chance to compete on this stage every four years. I will say that there is marked improvement on the national courts that created more competition than we've seen in the past. 
5.  Being a Homer for the host country.  Mo Farah, Andy Murray, and the British cycling teams became hometown legends and were spurred by their frenzied countrymen. 
So I go back to watching HGTV, FoodNetwork, DIY and the Travel Network.  Looking forward to watching a new Russia showcase their country for the Winter Olympics in 2014!