This summer, over 30 million viewers tuned into the Olympic opening ceremony alone.  Although the Rio Olympics were the least watched Olympic Games since 2000, they still became one of the most viewed sports programs this year.  But why are the Olympics so successful? After all, most of the sports have professional leagues that do not attract anywhere near as many viewers. Why do people watch the Olympics instead?  

This question can be answered only one way: people love the athletes.

One of the most publicized stories of these Olympics starred Ryan Lochte, the swimmer who allegedly got robbed by people pretending to be security guards. However, the story turned out to be a very exaggerated version of the truth. In reality, he and some teammates vandalized a bathroom and were forced to pay a fine.

Another dramatic story, though not quite as publicized, is the tale of French pole vaulter Renaud Lavillenie. While he was pole vaulting against a Brazilian vaulter for the gold medal, the predominantly. Brazilian crowd repeatedly booed him. This act distracted Lavillenie and made him lose first place. As he received his silver medal, the crowd booed him again. This story ranks among the likes of other un-sportsmanlike tales, such as the Egyptian judo fighter who refused to shake hands with his Israeli opponent.

When superstar athletes are combined with a television broadcast throughout the world, drama is sure to occur.  However, this pressure can also push the athletes to their limits and leave viewers stunned. The Rio games were no exception.

Nobody can talk about these Olympics without talking about the great performances this year. There were 65 records broken this year alone, 19 of them world records. Team USA came away with 121 medals, the most medals won these games. Many people joke that this is ironic because the USA is known to have the highest obesity percentage in the world.

However, many of these great American athletes are now known by more than just sports fans. Simone Biles, the 19-year-old gymnast at her first Olympics, easily came away with four gold medals and one bronze. Michael Phelps now has 28 gold medals, holding the record for most decorated olympian by 10 medals. Team USA’s basketball teams both won gold, giving the women’s team its 7th straight gold.

The success wasn’t just limited to the United States. Team Great Britain had a great performance, with athletes like Tom Daley and Adam Peaty dominating in their events. Ethiopia’s Almaz Ayana broke the women’s 10000 meter record by over 13 seconds, and Wayde Van Niekerk of South Africa broke the 400 record.

Overall, the athletes performed well. However, that is not the only reason these games were so unique.

The Rio Olympics saw many underdogs take their place on the podium. Fiji, in their first Olympic games, won a gold medal in rugby. USA’s distance team, which is heavily overshadowed by teams like Ethiopia and Kenya, medaled in many events. In fact, Michael Centrowitz won the first American gold medal in the 1500 meter race since 1908.

What made these Olympics especially unique, however, were the statements shown made by the athletes. One story that stands out is how Nikki Hamblin, a New Zealander who raced the 5000 meters, helped American runner Abbey D’Agostino after she fell and tore a muscle. Both athletes were awarded the Pierre de Coubertin award, a rare award only given to Olympic athletes who show sportsmanship.

Overall, these games may have been controversial and problematic, but they were memorable for many reasons. Looking past the green water and fake robberies, these Olympics made history in both sports and sportsmanship. After all, those are the founding values of the games. Though the Rio games are over, they have created enough memories to carry sports fans over until the next Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea.