By Sam Bartee

Growing up in Colorado, winter activities were a big part of my life. However, if I had to choose between winter and summer, I would pick summer, hands down. The same goes for the Olympics – the summer games are just better.

Although sports in both seasons are competitive, the Summer Olympics seem to be a tad more challenging, and everyone loves a good challenge. There are many more events with two opposing teams or individuals in the Summer Olympics. Sports such as basketball, soccer, tennis, volleyball, baseball and softball seem to attract greater audiences due to the competition factor. The Winter Olympics are full of sports where the competitors are not being defended in any way, making for a less suspenseful event.

Names like Michael Phelps and Shawn Johnson instantly elicit a greater reaction than the athletes of the winter games. Sure, Shaun White is a beast when he’s boarding down a mountain; sure, Apolo Anton Ohno seems to fly on the ice; but they get nowhere near the publicity of the summer athletes. This is probably because more viewers tune in to the summer events rather than the winter.

Living in Texas and not having an actual winter seems to sway Texans toward the summer games. There isn’t a strong connection between people from warm climates and the winter competitions. Since most Texans aren’t regular speed skaters or lugers, they don’t fully comprehend the difficulty of the sport, which makes it less entertaining to watch.

The Summer Olympics also seem to have the upper hand in the convenience category. Since it is summer time, a lot more people are able to keep up with the games.

Everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion, but it seems clear the Summer Olympic Games are the more popular of the two. The sports in the summer games are more exciting, competitive, intense and downright entertaining.