I’ve never been interested in the Winter Olympics at any point of my life.
As someone who was born in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, it’s hard for me to follow a “global” sporting event that only applies to a limited number of countries.
But this year, I’ll watch a little bit — not just because my mind is more open as I get older, but also because I now have a team I’m interested in following.
The Jamaican bobsled team.
I don’t usually jump on bandwagons in sports, but who doesn’t want to support the modern rendition of the 1988 team that inspired “Cool Runnings”? What’s not to like about athletes from a tropical nation competing against cold-weather countries on their turf?
Those aren’t the only reasons why to root for Jamaica.
The Jamaicans had issues raising money, as they needed to raise $80,000 to make the trip. The good people of the Internet stepped in and raised over $127,000 in crowdfunding as of Tuesday to help the team out.
If you’re in need of a good underdog story, the Sochi Olympics will be a good place to look.
Reach the columnist at jnacion@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @Josh_Nacion
