As the Winter Olympics open in early February, millions of Americans are finding common ground again, rallying behind the red, white, and blue as U.S. athletes take the world stage in Milan.
In a country polarized by political tensions and social media conflicts, moments of genuine connection have become rare. The Olympics offer Americans a chance to unite behind a single cause.
The sense of unity is felt by fans all across the country including freshman Pierce Lee who echoes the belief that the Olympics can provide a break from the constant divisions all across the globe.
“Everyone in America is watching and rooting for the same team, which is something that doesn’t usually happen in our country.” Lee said. “We are so used to everyone having certain teams that we really like and really dislike, but in the Olympics us Americans come together and all have one team that we can really bond over and root for.”
Many watch the Olympics on television, but sports journalist for The Athletic Steve Buckley has a unique point of view given that he has covered the event previously.
“In one word, it’s very celebratory,” Buckley said. “People want to go and support and celebrate their country. People will also use the Olympics as an opportunity or platform to see a place they’ve never seen before.”
The Olympics are unique because they allow fans to watch sporting events that they don’t see on a regular basis. Seeing new sporting events like figure skating or curling brings an additional level of excitement and suspense to the everyday fan.
“If people to the right and people to the left can find common ground over figure skating and speed skating and down skiing, that’s a small victory for all of us,” Buckley said. “It doesn’t mean that we’re going to reach this utopian ideal politically, but it’s at least a small step in that direction, and we need to look at all the optimism we can and embrace it.”
Beyond everyday sports fans, the Olympics also deeply affect athletes in less widely covered sports, who rarely see their sports on national television. While football players regularly watch their idols compete each week, skiers and other winter athletes only get the chance to see the athletes they look up to on the biggest stage every four years.
“I really enjoy watching ski jumping because it amazes me that human beings can do such amazing things.” Lee said. “As a skier, I can’t even imagine doing the things that Olympic skiers do.”
Sports in general are an interesting phenomenon because people of all different backgrounds can come together and completely understand what is going on, and that is part of the beauty of it.
“I think sports are universal and they can draw people with seemingly unrelated backgrounds together.” Lee said. “There are no cultural or language barriers in sports and that really helps connect people from all over the world.”
The 2026 Milan event is not the first time the Olympics have been important in inspiring nationalism throughout the country.
“If you go back to 1980 when the U.S. hockey team beat the Soviets, and there’s that famous picture of Jim Craig, the goaltender with the American flag over his shoulder, and you can hear him mouthing the words, ‘where’s my dad?’” Buckley said. “There are so many examples of people who go to root for their team and also to root for their country.”
Pride, a word, a feeling that can describe how people across the world feel when watching the Olympics unfold firsthand.
Everybody has different reasons for that feeling, for some it comes from knowing a competitor, for others simply seeing their country win something and feeling a part of that.
Either way, it’s hard not to be impressed by the athletic feat of the olympic athletes.
“I was very proud to see a kid that I had covered in high school participate in the Olympics, just six years later,” Buckley said. “That made me happy and made me proud that I got to see some of his career before he was well known.”
As for the outlook of the team this year Buckley reports that there is a lot to look forward to with this year’s events.
“From what I’ve seen, this could be just about the best speed skating team the U.S. has had since Eric Hyden.” Buckley said. “So maybe collectively, we can celebrate that, and the women’s hockey team, figure skating and so forth. If the United States and people from the United States can celebrate one of those winning events by the Americans, that would at least be something on which we can all agree,” Buckley said.
In addition to watching one’s own country, many people enjoy learning about other countries from around the world, and celebrating their athletes as well.
“I also like to see all of the other countries that compete because it reminds me that sports are truly universal.” Lee said.