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Americans have been glued to televisions for the last 10 days watching these Beijing Games, but a Utah businessman has seen 10 Olympics live.
The Olympics are always all about the country, the people, compelling events, the competitors and the characters. Back in Torino in 2006, we introduced you to Salt Lake City advertising executive Everen Brown; if there's ever been a human Olympic mascot, he's it.
Brown showed us some of his used tickets from previous Olympics, what he referred to has his most cherished Olympic souvenirs. "I think it really truly just started in childhood, just seeing it on TV and just wishing I was there," he said.
Everen showed us Olympic items he's collected: a record picture disk from 1984, a 1992 Dream Team basketball card collection, hockey sticks from 1998's Nagano, sets of pins distributed by gas stations in 1988, and a Frisbee from the 2002 Salt Lake games, among others.
"When you go to the Olympics, everybody seems in a very good mood. The whole world, for a short time, comes together, and everybody's happy," he said.
Brown was featured in the New York Times sports section two weeks ago. He's seen 46 events in Beijing so far, including Phelps' seventh and eighth gold medals, and women's fencing, where Americans took all the medals.
If there's an Olympic Games anywhere on Earth, the man I call "Downtown Brown" is definitely there spreading his own brand of international cheer.
The winter Olympics in Vancouver in 2010 is the next Olympics; you know he's on board.