Olympics are great, but who do we root for?

I’ve been watching a lot of the Olympics this week. I don’t think there’s any other sporting event in the world that matches the pageantry and grandeur of the Games.

The only problem I’m having this year is trying to figure out who to root for. Sure, I cheer for the Americans. That's obvious. There's nothing like seeing Old Glory rise to the top during the medal ceremony. But other than the Americans, I don’t have many loyalties.

This used to be a lot easier. Back during the Cold War, it was pretty much a given that as Americans, we would root for our NATO allies, and cheer against all the countries of the Eastern Bloc. We cheered for countries like Great Britain, France, Canada and West Germany; and rooted like mad against the Soviets, the Bulgarians, the Hungarians and the East Germans.

But those days are long gone. The Cold War is over, the Iron Curtain has come down and Germany has reunited.

So, for better or for worse, and for lack of a better option, I’ve devised a new formula for deciding which countries I’ll cheer for. Basically, I decided I’ll favor those countries that speak English. It’s shallow, I know. After all, I’m not one of these English-only jingoists who looks down their nose at anyone who speaks a foreign tongue. But then again, it's all I've got.

So, along with the United States, I’ll cheer for Canada and Great Britain. I’ll cheer for Australia. I’ll cheer for places like Jamaica, Antigua and the Bahamas. I’ll cheer for certain countries in Africa, like Liberia and Kenya. I'll even cheer for India, just not very well.

Likewise, I’ll cheer against Germany and Italy and Russia and China. And I'll root like mad against the French.

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The opening ceremonies last week were fun to watch.

My favorite part was the thousands of boxes — they called them “Chinese printing blocks,” I think — that moved in harmony, making waves, raindrops, Chinese characters and various other designs. I was sure such a feat could only be accomplished via complex computer programming, so I was shocked when the performers inside the boxes revealed themselves at the end. It was quite the stunner.

Of course, I’m also a big fan of the Parade of Nations. While I always swell with pride when the American delegation comes in, I also found it to be a powerful moment when the host Chinese arrived, to the deafening roar of the crowd. I think it’s sometimes hard for us Americans to comprehend that people in other countries love their country as much as we love ours.

And as much as it’s neat to see the world powers march in — countries that send hundreds of athletes to the Games — I also get a kick out of seeing the countries that send just a handful of athletes, like Botswana, with its two competitors, or Nauru and Togo, with their single-member delegations.

For these athletes, Olympic glory is not defined by gold medals, fame and endorsement deals. No, for them, the glory is just being there. And therein lies the real majesty of the Olympics. That's what slogans like "One World, One Dream," are all about.

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Think what you will of George W. Bush, but the president has been in his element this week while attending the Games.

Bush became the first U.S. president to attend an Olympics held on foreign soil, and he seemed to be having a ball. He posed for photos with members of the U.S. and Chinese baseball teams. He got sandy, playing beach volleyball with American stars Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh. He even huddled with members of the U.S. men's basketball team prior to their Olympic opener.

But my favorite moment was when Bush arrived at the opening ceremonies. He was seated in the VIP section, but as he made his way to his seat, there was no grand ceremony. There was no "all rise for the president of the United States" moment. Instead, George and Laura simply made their way to their seats like a couple of normal people walking into the stadium.

At the Olympics, I guess, egalitarianism rules the day.