Regardless of how nasty this year’s Presidential race has turned out through its sensationalized debates and chatters from the Republican Party, to the unwarranted — and sometimes misogynistic — vitriol toward the Democratic candidate, the Fourth of July is a calming breeze of patriotism to remind citizens how great the country still is.

And while the fourth is certainly a staple in American history, 2016 — and every fourth year since 1896 — is another patriotic phenomenon.

The Summer Olympic Games, held in exotic Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, will be the seventh of my existence and every year I begin to understand how important these games are to not only Americans, but also athletes worldwide.

What I really love about the Olympics is that it’s basically an international field day with countries vying for the crown in an array of sports. By far, the women’s gymnastics events are the most entertaining to me.

The story behind “The Fierce Five” with Gabby Douglas, Jordyn Wieber, Aly Raisman, McKayla Maroney and Kyla Ross was heartwarming as the group cemented its legacy as one of the top Olympic gymnastics teams, rivaling “The Magnificent Seven” from 1996.

Douglas and Raisman look to compete in this year’s games along with Simone Biles, who would arguably be the most talented all-around gymnast on the team.

Of course, the men’s basketball team is always a treat to watch minus that Bronze stint in 2004. This iteration of the team, however, gives room for fresh faces in the likes of Draymond Green, Kyle Lowry, Jimmy Butler, Paul George and Kyrie Irving.

The team has nice ball handlers, big men who can open up the court with 3-point shooting and can put on a show through explosive dunks. Basically, it’s a team perfectly pieced together for the Olympics. Basketball is much different in this setting as players can rebound the ball on the rim and the length from perimeter players would bother the jump-shooting heavy Olympic opponents.

From reports of safety concerns and the Zika virus, Rio has turned out to not be as attractive as its scenery. But, these concerns showed themselves in 2012 during the World Cup with terrible infrastructure on stadiums that were rushed to completion to only be used for that event.

Rio does have a rough side and it’s scary to think about the dangers those athletes are subjected to in the name of patriotism.