Remember back at the end of June when no one cared about the Olympics? Some people even pontificated that the 2008 games might be the most irrelevant ever. Hyperbole aside, one person suggested, “They will be completely irrelevant right up until the opening ceremony and then will immediately go back to being irrelevant after the closing ceremony.”

Turns out, the ‘08 festivities were a big hit. Especially, financially.

Then there were the stars: Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor made a new friend on the way to another gold medal and Usain Bolt was nasty, winning the 100m and 200m in record times. Then there were Shawn Johnson (Who will lead the Pledge of Allegiance at the DNC tonight.) and her American gymnastics teammates, who captured our hearts in a way that only cute young girls fighting Communist cheaters can.

Of course, the biggest star of the Olympics was Micheal Phelps. Phelps who is set to make millions in endorsements, will also attempt to grow his celebrity by hosting the season premier of Saturday Night Live. (Lil’ Wayne will be the musical guest. They should probably invest in some fog lights.)

Of course, if his appearance is anything besides hilarious, we’ll all go back to not thinking about him until 2012. Good luck staying relevant, Michael. You might need it.

[Hat Tip: FanHouse]

(*Oh – Apparently, AJ Daulerio and I both list “abs” as a quality we look for in dudes.)