I’m obsessed with the Olympics.
During the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, I sat in front of the TV with my family nearly all day, cheering on amazing athletes in sports like diving, gymnastics, and wrestling. Watching Canadians perform in what looks like impossible events fills me with awe and admiration for my country’s athletes.
Of course, when you watch a lot of TV during the Olympics, you also watch a lot of commercials that carry messages of Olympic strength and perseverance. To some, these may be cheesy and just a way for corporations to take advantage of the passion people like me feel for the Olympics.
I can understand why some may feel this way, but I actually love Olympic commercials. While these commercials don’t necessarily make me like their companies any more or less than I already did, I do love the way they represent Olympic values and pay homage to the hard work of athletes all around the world.
Here are some Olympic commercials that make me cry every time.
P&G Thank You, Mom
This was the first Olympic commercial I saw for the 2018 Winter Olympics, and it was just the right thing to get me into the Olympic spirit. Through a series of shots of children destined to face prejudice in their athletic careers, this commercial portrays some of the hardships that athletes endure and the unwavering parental support that is vital to their success.
The slow and contemplative Milck cover of “Ooh Child” in the background is what really sets off the waterworks for me. Imagining Olympic mothers giving those words of encouragement—“Things are gonna get easier”—to their children, who strive for victory in a world that’s turned against them, makes me want to see them succeed all the more.
Bonus: watch the 2016 Summer Olympics edition that literally just made me cry. P&G makes a lot of great Olympic commercials, so if you feel like crying, find some on YouTube and get ready to bawl.
Samsung #DoWhatYouCant
I seriously can’t watch this one without crying. This Samsung ad shows people around the world singing snippets of national anthems that are not their own to emphasize Olympic unity and the fact that we are all the same. The lyrics speak of freedom, justice, peace, endurance, joy, hope, and love, and the fact that they all blend together into an international anthem makes me think that we’re not as different as we are led to believe, which is part of what the Olympics is all about.
SportChek Olympic Manifesto
This commercial is for all the athletes out there who understand what it’s like to pour your entire life into what may sometimes seem like a pipe dream: winning at the Olympics. With beautiful, haunting spoken word poetry from Canadians Shane Koyczan and Sabrina Benaim and clips of the greatest Canadian Olympic failures and successes, this commercial channels the spirit of the athletes who work their heart out in hopes of coming out on top. This link is to the opening of the poem, but I encourage you to listen to the successive verses as well to get a true sense of what it takes to be an Olympian.
Writing this article reminded me what an emotional mess I am when it comes to the Olympics. I hope you enjoyed these commercials! I’ll be over here, getting ready to cry my eyes out in a few weeks during the 2018 Winter Olympics.