Total Domination

Shaun White is kind of annoying in that overexposed, media-product sort of way. But he's also really good at what he does, and this superb essay goes a long way towards explaining why that is compelling entertainment.

Excerpt:

White is the most dominant American athlete at these Olympics. The gap between the Tomato and the other snowboarders is so immense that even a layman can see it. Watching from the bottom of the hill during training runs, it's easy to spot White from far away—before you make out his bib number, his team colors, or even his hair. You just watch for the dot that flies twice as high as the other dots.