Team USA's Dreams of a Record Olympics Are Suddenly Falling Apart

[tanyev]

9. When did the silver and bronze medals lose their value?

I feel like a scenario I've seen many times in recent Olympics is the happy gold medal winner and the silver and bronze medalists struggling to keep the disappointment off their faces.

Is it because so much media coverage frames it as "So and so had to settle for the silver" or "So and so, rejected in their quest for the gold", etc.? Maybe it's because all the monetization opportunities go to the first-place finisher?

I don't know, but I absolutely love it when someone who wasn't expected to medal wins the bronze and they are THRILLED! Shun Sato was very emotional about winning the bronze in men's figure skating.

I mean, winning a silver medal or a bronze medal at the Olympics is amazing. Just making the Olympic team is amazing!