A Personal Boycott

"I don't know which was more fun; watching the game or watching you two?" So said a friend of a former co-worker after Sidney Crosby scored the "Golden Goal" in the finals of the 2010 Men's Olympic Hockey Gold-Medal game.

But this year, I will not be watching the rematch, or any of the Winter Olympics. I will stay up on it through ESPN, USA Today, and social media, but I will not be actively watching.

Many folks who know me would likely say this has to do with the anti-gay laws that the Russia has passed in recent months. That may be part of it, but articles from a recent issue of The Nation made me realize that the issues go much deeper.

This Olympics is the most expensive ever staged and may be among the most destructive to the environment. Sochi is a resort town that was turned into a winter sports venue. I can imagine this destruction will only get worse as the venues crumble and decay.

There is also the role that corporations play in funding the athletes, especially those in smaller sports like luge.

This is the second time I have personally boycotted an Olympics, the first time was in 2008 when the games were in China. That nations's bid was plagued by controversy over human rights and environmental issues as well. The 2002 Salt Lake City winter games were dogged by corruption charges.

The International Olympic Committee could send a great message to the world if, when evaluating candidate cities, they would consider external factors like human rights and how much infrastructure needs to be built. Of course, considering the make up of the International Olympic Committee, that seems unlikely.