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By the mid-1970s, the Olympics were a huge hit. Families gathered around their televisions every summer to watch athletes from around the world compete in games that included running fast, jumping high, and throwing things very far through the air. In 1981, William decided to expand the games to fall, winter, and spring as well, giving fans something to root for all year round. While profitable at first, the expansion proved to be too much, too soon. Critics complained that the new format spread the games thin and didn’t leave enough off-time for spectators to get excited for the next round of events. The 400-meter log roll in the Autumn Games was immediately followed by ice wrestling in the winter, which was immediately followed by the maple bucket challenge in the spring. Audiences and athletes alike were growing weary of the non-stop Olympic cycle. Television ratings reached a new low in 1982 when PBS launched its new sitcom The McLaughlin Group in a competing timeslot. William’s children, Robert James Olympics and Charlotte Olympics-Kennedy, took over the reins when their father died in a ballooning accident in 1986. By this time, ad revenue was drying up and the games had only one remaining sponsor -- the New England Raisin Advisory Board, known primarily for their singing "Massachusetts Raisins”, a blatant and oft-mocked attempt to compete with their much more popular namesakes from California. Despite their father’s dying wish to keep the games a year-round spectacle, Charlotte and Kevin knew that the only way to survive was to adapt. By decade’s end, they announced that the Olympics would return to its roots as a two-season offering -- one set of games in the summer, and one in the winter -- and that each would only occur every four years. In a now famous quote, Kevin said he and Charlotte wanted the Olympics to be “The McRib of sports.” “Or the Shamrock Shake!” Charlotte added. “I love waiting all year for my Shamrock Shake.” Fast-forward to 2026, and it’s clear to see that they made the right decision. This year’s games may be the most popular ever, dominating TV ratings, streaming numbers, and social media conversation. While some of the events themselves have changed over the years (goodbye icicle lancing, hello snow boarding), the spirit of the games remain strong as ever. I hope you enjoyed this little history lesson. I did most of my research using ChatGPT and other AI programs that were advertised during this year’s Super Bowl (the origins of which, by the way, stretch all the way back to ancient Greece! But we’ll save that story for another newsletter.) I also hope you have a wonderful weekend! Luke and I will talk to you on Monday. — Andrew
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