[airstrike]

It made more sense before globalization. It was a chance to consider going to some unexpected destination, bringing people together from all nations. Maybe take your spouse or your kids with you, go on a cruise, hire a tour guide, grab a book with some tips and short phrases in the local language and embark on an exciting adventure.

In the 21st century, we interact with the rest of the world on a daily basis. You can learn more about any destination online (heck, on Wikipedia alone) than you would from traveling there for a few days to watch some random assortment of sporting activities.

And I think to some extent we're so used to having everything at our fingertips that sometimes actually going to the destination is less rewarding than one would expect--spend a ton of money (vs. going on the internet 'for free'), deal with customs, deal with the occasional crying kid on the plane, maybe forget to bring an item you really needed, maybe get mugged or lose your passport, have issues with your hotel reservation...

Not to mention the opportunity cost. Compare the number of, say, Summer activities one could consider instead of going to the Olympics in 1952 vs 2022. If anything we suffer from too many alternatives today

Plus there's no Cold War to raise the stakes to the point where anything but the gold medal wins utter defeat.

And frankly I'd wager most people aren't that into nationalism anymore, except maybe the alt-right and its equivalents elsewhere. "I'm just trying to get through the week" trumps all else for most people.

[distribot]

I agree that you can learn more facts about place than you can by visiting for a few days, I think this is kind of misleading. I've mostly interacted with the world through the internet and have a decent sense for other cultures, world leaders, political systems, leading exports, types of food, etc but the <20 days I've spent abroad really feel like much richer experiences and were very eye opening. I think globalism and the internet make us think the world is a little smaller than it is.

[airstrike]

As an immigrant and International Relations major (forever ago), I definitely believe in the value of traveling. But I also believe in "living like a local" wherever you go to truly experience what that place is about... which is virtually impossible during any global event like the Olympics or the football World Cup

[thesuperbigfrog]

>> Plus there's no Cold War to raise the stakes to the point where anything but the gold medal wins utter defeat.

I have to disagree here.

The amount of politics and rivalry between authoritarian vs. non-authoritarian regimes is the same as it was in the past

[mrkentutbabi]

This is what I’ve become. I don’t think I am racist, and I came to the US liking the diversity, that was about ten years ago.

Now I think I’ve had enough of it, and would rather have familiarity and harmony. I began to resent diversity actually.

[james-redwood]

It’s an international tournament? Diversity is inevitable in that situation. I get what you mean though. I grew up in then Rhodesia, followed by stints in South Africa as effectively a refugee followed by the UK, and honestly I miss having a community of people who all share the exact same experiences as you in the same place. It’s the small town feeling I guess.

I don’t resent the UK and US for becoming like this though: I feel you can have the best of both worlds. London for instance is a very international city, but even if you venture even half an hour out of the M25 you’ll find very homogenous neighbourhoods (in fact, this is even true within London now that I think about it).