LONDON — Watching the greatest athletes on earth compete in a quadrennial bonanza of sport is nice, but it’s evidently not enough to satisfy the goldfish-like attention span of 21st-century spectators.

At least that’s what Olympic organizers seem to think.

A dazzling array of loud, exuberant entertainment is on display at venues all over London, enough to ensure there’s never a dull moment among archery sets, tennis serves, vaults, slams, dunks, and clean and jerks.

Sports purists may shudder at the tackiness and overproduction. The Games, after all, are meant to be about Olympic ideals like courage, perseverance, and fair play, not how loud crowds can cheer for a troupe of jump-rope performers, or a brass band belting out the theme from ‘‘Life of Brian.’’

And let’s face it, the Olympics have always encompassed more than just competition, with host countries outdoing each other to put on the most extravagant Opening and Closing ceremonies. A seat at Olympic Stadium for director Danny Boyle’s rollicking, $42 million kickoff show July 27 went for upward of $3,100, the hottest ticket of the Games.

And it hasn’t stopped there. London organizers have arranged entertainment at every Olympic venue for all 26 sports, with each act tailored to the competition on display. There are Eastern European cheerleaders, English ballet dancers, US pop singers, British marching bands, and acrobatic acts from around the world.

ASSOCIATED PRESS