The Olympics, Purim and Tonya Harding

Here is an essay that I wrote that was just published in Tablet about my shameful Harding fandom, Sabbath transgression and Purim.

A little excerpt. This incident has got to be one of my mother's favorite athletic memories, right after the Brooklyn Dodger's World Series win and the "Miracle on Ice" in 1980.

That night, my sister, mother, and I watched the short program huddled together on my mother’s bed. In our jingoistic fervor, we chanted “fall, fall, fall” as the Japanese Midori Ito attempted a jump, hoping to clear the path for the Americans: Kristi Yamaguchi, Nancy Kerrigan, and my beloved Harding. We burst into wild applause when Ito seemingly complied, not realizing we were watching a taped broadcast.