As someone from Philadelphia, the Monitor’s Ira Porter knows firsthand about passionate fans – perhaps a bit too passionate sometimes. So now at the end of his first week covering the Olympics for us, what stands out are the fans. 

“This gets to be everyone’s Super Bowl all at the same time,” he wrote me during a break in the action. And that means a Super Bowl’s worth of emotions everywhere Ira turns in Paris.

“I love the fans’ excitement at these games,” he says. They drape themselves in their nation’s flag, they fill the stadiums with the chants and cheers of countless languages. And, of course, they shed tears with their heroes. 

And it’s not just in the stadiums. The atmosphere around Paris is unforgettable. (See today’s Daily for more.) “Fans are loving it,” he says. “They are stopping celebrities in arenas and on the street to snap quick pictures. They are screaming at the top of their lungs in arenas. I imagine every Olympics is like this, but seeing it up close warms my spirit.” 

As an American, he has a soft spot for Team USA. But “I can’t help but be happy for fans from other places,” he adds. “There are enough medals for everyone to get some … hopefully.”