For some sports fans, it’s often easy to forget the winter slate of Olympic competition exists. The summer games average over a billion more viewers than their counterpart due to a litany of reasons, the most prominent of which being the lack of accessibility provided by many winter sports.
This entry barrier leads to a much smaller pool of competitive nations, resulting in medal leaderboards that are often laughably lopsided. The 21st century has seen Norway demolish their winter Olympic competition to the tune of four consecutive overall first-place finishes, and 2026 saw the Norwegians win 18 gold medals — six more than the second-place United States.
While this year’s USA squad failed to disrupt the Nordic reign of terror, they certainly won gold in the headline-generating department.
Olympic tournaments often create legends out of nowhere — we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention Australian breakdancing sensation “Raygun” or Turkey’s Yusuf Dikeç, who took home the silver medal in shooting in a tee shirt and sweatpants. Much like Dikeç stole the show with his distinctive nonchalance, American figure skating sensation Alysa Liu does not act like the traditional Olympian — and that’s exactly what drives her to greatness.
Alysa Liu’s journey to Olympic glory is rooted in improbability. The daughter of a Chinese dissident who fled the country following the Tiananmen Square Massacre, Liu’s meteoric rise to the top is certainly reminiscent of the American Dream. After drawing media attention for her unique look and unorthodox routine music, Liu captured gold in women’s single skating and ascended overnight to international fame.
Liu’s unabashedly individualistic style mirrors her one-of-a-kind journey — from embracing Y2K-esque halo hair to ranking her favorite anime in Olympic interviews, her demeanor is more reminiscent of a geeky kid next door than a world-class athlete. Through embracing her fun-loving demeanor, Liu has set a new standard for what constitutes the modern Olympic superstar, and it’s refreshingly authentic.
While Liu was the undisputed star of singles competition, the discourse around team sports was dominated by America’s hockey teams.
After blitzing their group stage with a perfect 4–0 record, the USA women’s hockey team obliterated their quarterfinal and semifinal opponents by a combined score of 11–0. In their finals match against archrival Canada, the combined efforts of Hilary Knight (our personal pick for women’s hockey GOAT) and Megan Keller lifted the Stars and Stripes to gold medal glory for the first time since 2018.
The women’s team succeeded with magnificent aplomb, but a whirlwind of questions surrounded USA’s men’s hockey squad. After suffering a humiliating defeat to the hated Canadians in 2025’s Four Nations Face Off final, the American team sought both revenge and their first gold medal since 1980’s “Miracle on Ice” in which they dethroned a different Red Menace.
Following an exhilarating bracket that saw both America and Canada go to overtime against perceivably inferior quarterfinals competition, the familiar foes made it back to the championship round on the world’s biggest stage. This time, USA upended their northern neighbors thanks to the heroics of star centre Jack Hughes and goalie Connor Hellebuyck, whose herculean effort in net earned him a Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Yes, you read that correctly. Those familiar with this year’s Olympic slate almost certainly took notice of the political firestorm surrounding the event. After USA hockey vanquished their Canadian nemeses, the country experienced a rush of bipartisan patriotism not felt in decades. Unfortunately, this mountain of goodwill was swiftly eradicated by the men’s team when they mocked their female counterpart during a phone call with President Donald Trump.
In an absolute masterclass of failing to read the room, the men’s team was also caught on tape partying with maligned FBI director Kash Patel. It didn’t help that Patel’s mannerisms during the celebration were reminiscent of someone who experienced high school social life from the inside of a locker. One must wonder if their tax dollars contributed to Mr. Patel’s big night on the town. Our primary hope is that “Kash Money” learns how to properly fist pump before the LA Olympics, lest he embarrass the nation on its own soil.
Unfortunately for those who enjoy drama-free sports, the Trump-sponsored meltdown caught many other athletes in its path. When skier Hunter Hess professed his indifference about representing the USA at the Olympics, the President responded by calling him “a real loser.” When even JD Vance and Eileen Gu (an American-born skier who competes for China) are capable of some cordiality, one has to wonder if Mr. Trump is forcing himself to adopt this inflammatory rhetoric.
Regardless of intention, these Olympics could teach a valuable lesson to the leaders of the free world. An old American adage says, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Our most patriotic leaders could surely stand to echo this sentiment and let American excellence speak for itself.
Sports should be ultimate unifier, capable of bringing individuals together under a shared banner of fandom. The 2026 Winter Olympics gave us a glimpse of what that unification looks like — and just how quickly it can be erased. Hopefully 2028’s Olympic games see more American victory and less American humiliation — or at least an FBI director who knows how to party.
Contact Mac Ribner at ribner@oxy.edu and Ben Petteruti at petteruti@oxy.edu
