With the Olympics, I miss the Cold War

A few unis had the hammer and sickle (gymnasts' for one). But not hockey.

 

It had the CCCP. Good times. And that Soviet national anthem, wow! It was goose-stepping magic.

 

I played in a roller hockey tournament once in Columbia, S.C. where one of the teams called itself the Hilton Head Big Dogs, and their unis were exact replicas of the Red Army team except with HHBD on it. They were all douche bags.

(that was 1995 I think and seems like a long ass time ago)

There is no way under the sun I would wear something like that. With my nationalistic pride that goes to my very core, it would physically make me feel peculiar.

 

Anthem music is still the same (thank Tebow).

Only the words have changed. Such as . . .

Soviet chorus:
"Oh! Party of Lenin! The strength of the people.
To Communism's triumph lead us on!"


Today's chorus:
"Ancestor-given wisdom of the people!
Glory to you, our country! We are proud of you!"

 

I lost count of the number of Big Macs I ate in 1984 courtesy of the McD's promo of the time. You ordered something, you got a card to scratch off with an event. Gold = free Big Mac, silver = free fries, bronze = free soda.

I thought at the time McD's lost its ass on the promo, but in 26-year hindsight they discovered the genius of loss-leading.

 

WOLVERINES!!!

 

Interesting debate in the YouTube comments. Evidently Rocky IV used the 1944 version... and the anthem's lyrics had been rewritten in 1977 as part of de-Stalinization.

 

The final count:
USA with a record 37 medals
USSR with 19
Honorable mention to Canada with a record 14 gold

 

I remember that too. You had to scratch off a card which matched the prize with the Olympic event. I also ate plenty of McDonald's during that month.

And the Simpsons spoofed it where Krusty asks the marketing person if he's going to lose money on the free Krusty Burger promotion. Marketing person replies that they've rigged it so the only events eligible are the ones that the Soviets dominate in. Then Krusty finds out about the boycott.

 

Seems Russian president Medvedev isn't happy with with the performance. Somebody's butt is headed to the gulag or Siberia!

“Those who bear the responsibility for Olympic preparations should carry that responsibility. It’s totally clear,” Medvedev said. “I think that the individuals responsible, or several of them, who answer for these preparations, should take the courageous decision to hand in their notice. If we don’t see such decisiveness, we will help them.”

 

Oh, Crimea river.