Unpacking Virality at the Olympics
The Olympics Went Viral, But Not For The Reasons We Expected.
Every Olympics promises the same thing: peak athleticism, once-in-a-lifetime performances, and history being made in real time. But what actually goes viral is rarely the medal count.
We all remember Tonya Harding, and probably not for the reason she would like.
The internet latches onto people, their joy, their charisma, their mistakes, and sometimes their worst moments. This year’s viral Olympic moments split cleanly into two camps: the ones that reminded us why we love watching humans succeed, and the ones that reminded us how fragile those humans really are.
The Joyful Internet Darlings
Some Olympic moments don’t need controversy to travel fast. They spread because they feel good.
Snoop Dogg: America’s Unexpected Olympic Ambassador
Somehow, Snoop Dogg became one of the most joyful symbols of the 2024 Summer Games, and he is carrying that energy into these Winter Games. Not as an athlete, but as a cultural translator. His commentary and presence strip away the stiff formality that often surrounds Olympic coverage. He didn’t explain sports like a pundit; he reacted like the rest of us would if we were courtside with credentials.
The result? Millions of people who might normally scroll past Olympic clips stopped to watch. Not because they suddenly cared about the technical rules, but because Snoop made the Games feel accessible.
Ilona Maher and the Power of Representation
In the summer Olympics, Ilona Maher’s popularity didn’t come from a single highlight reel moment; it came from presence. Confidence, humor, self-awareness, and unapologetic strength made her resonate far beyond rugby fans.
Her virality wasn’t about perfection. It was about visibility. Maher showed that Olympic athletes don’t have to fit a single body type, personality, or narrative to be celebrated. The internet didn’t just watch her compete; it rooted for her.
And seeing her show up to support the Winter Athletes in Milan is just what we needed.
The Winn Brothers and Accidental Main Character Energy
And then there are the Winn brothers, siblings of USA women’s hockey standout Haley Winn, who have taken the internet by storm in the best way. Between their over-the-top outfits, coordinated gear, dramatic reactions in the stands, and pure unfiltered enthusiasm, they’ve become a subplot no one expected, but everyone loves.
They aren’t polished. They aren’t media-trained. They’re just fully committed older brothers celebrating their sister’s Olympic moment to the fullest. Their antics feel refreshingly joyful in the Olympic atmosphere, which is often defined by pressure and performance. Sometimes, virality doesn’t belong to the athlete on the ice but to the family members losing their voices in the stands.
When the Spotlight Turns Sharp
But virality doesn’t always uplift. Sometimes it magnifies pain.
Ilia Malinin and the Weight of Expectation
Ilia Malinin, known as “The Quad God,” entered the men’s free skate carrying the kind of expectations that turn athletes into legends. But after a shocking performance landed him in eighth place, he stunned the skating world, not only losing out on gold but missing the podium entirely.
The internet shifted almost instantly. Awe turned into disbelief. Slow-motion replays replaced celebratory edits.
Cameras captured Malinin’s emotions, processing what happened in real time as he waited for his scores beside his father in the “Kiss and Cry”. The camera caught Malinin saying to his father, “I wouldn’t have skated like that if I had been on the team in Beijing.” Watching an athlete process the collapse of expectation on the sport’s biggest stage was gut-wrenching.
When the scores came down, Malinin demonstrated his humility and grace by immediately standing up, congratulating gold medalist Mikhail Shaidorvo with a hug and a conversation, not a perfunctory handshake, and 30 seconds later told Andrea Joyce, “I blew it.”
Sturla Holm Lægreid and the Collapse of the “Golden Athlete” Image
When news surfaced about Norwegian biathlete Sturla Holm Lægreid admitting to cheating on his girlfriend, the conversation shifted abruptly. This wasn’t about athletic performance anymore; it was about moral disappointment.
The reaction was swift and unforgiving, partly because the Olympics still cling to the idea of athletes as role models first and humans second. The internet struggles with nuance. A bronze medal doesn’t protect you from scrutiny, and personal failures quickly overshadow professional achievements.
This kind of viral moment reminds us how little room there is for imperfection once someone becomes a symbol.
Lindsey Vonn and the Cost of Spectacle
Lindsey Vonn’s crash circulated endlessly online, resulting in a different kind of discomfort. The footage went viral not because it was triumphant, but because it was terrifying. It forced viewers to confront the physical risks athletes accept as part of their careers.
Unlike scandals or personal missteps, this kind of virality feels voyeuristic. We watch because we can’t look away. And then we sit with the uneasy realization that our entertainment comes at a very real human cost.
What These Moments Say About Us
The contrast between these viral highs and lows reveals something uncomfortable: the Olympics aren’t just a celebration of sport anymore. They’re a content machine.
We reward athletes for being entertaining, relatable, inspirational, and flawless, until they aren’t. The same platforms that elevate someone to internet darling status can just as quickly turn them into a cautionary tale.
The positive viral moments remind us why the Games still matter. The negative ones remind us that athletes don’t stop being people just because the world is watching.
The Real Takeaway
Maybe the question isn’t why certain Olympic moments go viral, but what we choose to do with them.
We can celebrate joy without demanding perfection. We can acknowledge mistakes without erasing achievements. And we can watch these moments, both triumphant and tragic, with a little more empathy.
Because someday, the medals will be stored away.
But the internet will remember how we reacted.
Author Bio
Ashley is a busy wife and mother, often found listening to an audiobook while driving the mom taxi, desperate to cling to her sanity through the joy of escapism. Her love of reading inspired her to return to school, and she is currently finishing her bachelor’s degree in creative writing at Southern New Hampshire University. Being a mother does not mean you have to give up your dreams; her story is still being written.
