Olympic-Sized Musings

Remember when the Olympics were truly an amateur event? It seems not that long ago where the idea of a top Olympian returning to the next Olympics was deemed not plausible due to the financial rewards of turning professional. Now that seems a distant memory. Michael Phelps is suggesting he may return for two more Olympics, and why not? He makes millions outside of the pool doing endorsements, appearances (he is now set to host the opening Saturday Night Live this season) and whatever else he likes to do. Why not continue in these "amateur" events while making millions in between? Track stars now do the same, with healthy appearance fees throughout the year while they retain their Olympic eligibility..........

The most dramatic affront to the Olympic ideal has to be the Redeem Team, the latest incarnation of the Dream Team. While thousands of Olympic athletes scrimp and save while training their way to a glimpse of stardom and financial reward, these players have already achieved fame and fortune beyond the dreams of the vast majority of their fellow Olympians. To this writer, these Olympians seem totally out of place alongside their "peer" athletes. Here are some of last season's salaries of a few players on the Redeem Team:

Jason Kidd 21.4M

Kobe Bryant 21.3M

Michael Redd 15.8M

Dwayne Wade, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh 14.4M

For those seven players alone, that is 116M. That number is, ironically, the 2008 Salary Cap number in the NFL for teams' 53-man rosters, 8-man practice squads and all players on injured reserve. Hardly stuff of the Olympic ideal............

Why did we hear so little about decathlete gold medalist Brian Clay? He seemed like a wonderful story and was an articulate and polished speaker to boot. In past days of Bruce Jenner and Dan Johnson, American decathletes were much-hyped and discussed. We barely heard about this amazing athlete and even after his gold medal, coverage was spotty.....

The opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympics have become very much like the halftime shows at the Super Bowl. Every year - or every four years, as the case may be - the city holding the event tries to "top this" from the prior one. At some point there is a natural desensitization to all the fireworks, elaborate performances, and stars brought out from the past. I totally understand the desire to spare no expense to show the world the best the venue has to offer, but it would seem to me that especially at the Olympics -- that amateur ideal again -- money would be better spent. I believe London is taking this advice in 2012..........

As the Winter Olympics have much fewer events than the Summer Olympics, why wouldn't some of the events in the latter be events for the winter? Does it really matter when indoor events are held? Basketball, boxing, gymnastics, swimming, diving and martial arts are all interesting events that could potentially provide for a nice change-of-pace from skiing and skating in the winter games..........

Did anyone else feel strange and a bit cheapened watching BMX at the Olympics? I am sure it had a following, but I felt like I was watching the X games, not the Olympics. I felt a bit cheap watching it.........

The United States won 110 medals, 36 gold, yet it seems many are not satisfied. I understand the need to always challenge our athletes, but can we not celebrate this bounty of success? Are we taking this "winning at all costs" thing a bit too seriously?

Comments

[Beaux510]

You have failed to understand what was meant by the title "Redeem team". It was about the medal, absolutely, but there was another meaning to it, and one far more important to Sport on the whole.

What this team did was to redeem the spirit of the game that had been lost by it's previous incarnation, the "Allan Iverson" version, where it was about "me" and not about "we".

This team, with it's superstar roster, played with heart. They adhered to roles that showed the world how best to play the game. And not the NBA game, but the International game which is dramatically different in it's makeup.

Ever watch the Lakers? It's the Kobe Freakin Bryant show. But look at his performance in the Olympics, in the first couple of games, he barely even put up a shot, and concentrated his effort on -GASP - defense?

This time it was about committment to the Olympic Ideal, commitment to TEAM, and commitment to understanding what it meant to represent the US in the best possible light.

And they DID...well.

[cnobody]

If competitive swimming were a highly-watched event, advertiser supported, that was on TV frequently, with its stars earning tons of cash, would you then wish Michael Phelps to stay home and let no-names compete? No, because Phelps is the greatest and we want the greatest to compete. The Olympics is about the best athletes competing against each other and the best athletes we have in basketball play in the NBA. Did you notice that many of the other countries had NBA players on their teams or professional players from other leagues? If you watch the NBA these days, you'll notice that there are quite a few international players. Olympic play and other international tournaments have helped change the face of the NBA.
And why the dig at BMX? Please explain what you mean by "cheapened." It is a competitive sport, a race, no less legitimate than the other bicycle events or even track events. Your mention of the X-Games suggests that you only a minimal exposure to the sport. BMX racing isn't even part of the X-Games. How is BMX racing less worthy than handball or synchronized diving or badminton or ping pong?

[grailknight]

The U.S. won 36 gold, the remainder were so-so silver or shameful bronze!
Back in the day when the games were ametuer, we had ametuer athletes, but if you'll recall those halcyon days under Avery Brunderidge, the Soviet block subsidized their Olymians as the Chinese continue to do, so to enforce ameteur standing universally is impossible, why not put our pros in. BMX, cheapening? What about the sexploitation of beach volleyball and women's gymnastics? BTW, the Greeks included poetry and drama as part of the games.

[timinhi]

It wasn't just the ancient Greeks--You should take a look at the history of the MODERN Olympics--In the early 20th century games, archetectural design, speech, and other non-"athletic" events were held. I personally think that the games should be more about athletic competition, and are overloaded with some peculiar events that should be dropped (rather than dropping baseball and softball, for instance, which I think makes no sense). Do we really need sailing as an event, in this day and age? Aren't there already enough sailing events in the world (like the America's Cup, for example)? Or how about "team rhythmic gymnastics?" I'm sure that those competitors are in very good physical condition, but come ON--It's more like ballet than a truly athletic event. I've heard the same argument against figure skating, but the athletic manuevers and stunts performed by world class skaters far outweigh the almost pure artistry of rhythmic "gymnastics." Even regular gymnstics takes a lot more athletic ability.

[timinhi]

Oh, and I would get rid of all the shooting and archery events too. Even a big fat guy can have a good aim. What's next? Are we gonna add darts and pool (billiards) to the games? Maybe we should add poker and bowling too--after all, ESPN broadcasts them--They MUST be "sports," right? And the PGA is lobbying to add golf. I guess that would mean that if the hosting city didn't already have a world-class golf course nearby, they'd have to build one from scratch, just for the games. Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. Like we don't already have enough golf tournaments in the world.

[Sporin]

Bravo! I think the Olympics should be limited to sports without established pro leagues or other widespread avenues to stardom. NBA stars get to shine all the time, for many athletes (swimming, gymnastics, track & field, etc.) the Olympics is the top of the world and outside of a few regional, barely-televised events the Olympics is the ONLY time they get to shine to a mass audience, make their sponsor money, and show the average person at home how phenomenal they are.