This episode centers around an athlete trying out for the Olympics, which were to be held in the summer of 1980 in Moscow.. A month after this episode, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan and 66 countries, led by the United States, boycotted the Olympics and did not send their athletes.
Barnaby (Buddy Ebsen) does a background check on "Ed Simmons" (Ed Nelson) and the report states he served in the Marine Corps. In real life, Ed Nelson served in the United States Navy.