There was once a time in our nation's consciousness when the Olympic decathlon was considered the ultimate event. If you won it, it meant you were the greatest athlete in the world and would soon be mobbed like a conquering hero when you returned home.
Well, no longer. I think there's no better way to describe the pull the decathlon has these days than this. NBC showed two nights in a row of live BMX biking in primetime compared with tonight's tape-delayed version of the conclusion of the decathlon.
Yikes. Talk about dropping a few rungs.
Anyway, I'm at least happy to report that the world's greatest athlete is American Bryan Clay. He became the first American to win the decathlon since Dan O'Brien in 1996. Yes, that'd be the same Dan from the old Dan and Dave commercials back in 1992. You know, back when the decathlon was actually cool.
I'm just glad Clay won. Now he can go to a lucrative career endorsing Little Chocolate Donuts, just like former decathlon Olympic gold medalist John Belushi did.
for the Dan and Dave reference. Well played...unlike Dave who didn't make the Olympics that year.
(I need the eye roll for this one)
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