Was it really Vancouver’s faux-pas?

Americans find ways to make fun of Canada in just about every possible way, whether it's their beaver surplus or the fact that everything edible is covered in syrup. When the International Olympic Committee chose Vancouver as the site of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, I'm sure the Canadians wanted to put on the most impressive winter games possible.

However, a few hours before the Opening Ceremony, 21-year-old Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili was killed during a training run on Whistler Mountain. His death unleashed a flood of critics and skeptics on Vancouver's Olympic Committee.

The luge track that killed Kumaritashvili was the fastest track in the world, and many of the athletes had voiced their concerns regarding the overall speed and design of the course. In fact, Kumaritashvili had phoned his dad the day before his death, saying that one of the turns on the Olympic luge track terrified him.

Athletes are among the most fearless people in the world. When a football player steps onto the field, he probably doesn't dwell on the possibility of paralysis or a life-threatening injury. When an Olympic luger gets ready to make a run on the track, he or she is not pondering the possibility of flying off of the track. Athletes want to win and very few things can stop them from being their best in their respective sports. So when several of the world's best athletes are voicing concerns, nothing should be more important than hearing them out.

This is why most of the blame gets placed on the shoulders of Vancouver's Olympic Committee. Skeptics are criticizing them for not changing the track soon enough, and claim that the Canadians were just trying to give their home team an advantage.

Up until his death, Kumaritashvili had only been on the track 26 times, whereas his Canadian counterparts had each notched several hundred runs.

These are all valid points, but Canada is not the actual culprit in the grand scheme of things. Whether or not they refused to change the track to give their team a competitive advantage is all speculation.

What we do know is that, despite the concerns, the track remained unchanged. So who is responsible for this debacle? The answer is in the ratings.

The Winter Olympics are often considered an afterthought to the Summer Olympics. They never bring as many viewers, and the sports are often rather obscure. It is the job of the host city and the networks to broadcast the most exciting winter games possible.

Part of that meant creating the world's fastest luge track. Speed and danger attract viewers, but at what cost?

Kumaritashvili's life could have and should have been spared in exchange for a few million viewers. As NBC comes closer to losing its Olympic coverage contract to ESPN, the stakes have gotten higher, and this time it has resulted in the unimaginable.

The Canadians are just victims of circumstance. They have actually put on a rather enjoyable Olympic competition. Despite the opening day tragedy and miserable weather, Canada has done everything in its power to make the 2010 Winter Olympic Games fun to watch, and they certainly have not disappointed.

Could they have altered the track and saved Kumaritashvili's life? Maybe, but then again, with NBC pushing for as many viewers as possible, it is tough for the host city to say "no" to the company that will broadcast the Games, and their city, around the world.