Olympics Question.

[Great-Kazoo]

With all the time and money spent by olympic hopefuls, does the USA deserve to field a basketball team composed of multimillion dollar players?
We go up against Uzbekistan and clean their clock, while one of the US coaches is pushing the doping issue regarding a chinese swimmer.
I remember the first "Dream Team" of basketball players, the hype etc.
Would there have been a movie made about the 1980 "Miracle" US hockey team if we had gordy howe, gretzsky and other paid players?
Yeah i know Gordy Howe is a canuck.

[Ridge]

I'm pretty sure it's against Olympic rules, since there is the requirement that they be amateurs, and never been paid for exhibiting their skills.

[newracer]

I'm pretty sure it's against Olympic rules, since there is the requirement that they be amateurs, and never been paid for exhibiting their skills.

Not any more.

[bigshane]

With all the time and money spent by olympic hopefuls, does the USA deserve to field a basketball team composed of multimillion dollar players?

Absolutely Not

[hatidua]

It'd ring a tad hollow to get a gold medal knowing that if the paid athletes were allowed in you'd not have had a chance. I'm all for letting 'em all play, let's see who the best HUMAN is, regardless of what their day-job is.

back when the pro's weren't allowed to compete, it was a bit like the Special Olympics: "these are the best of the best....of a certain group". Which had an unspoken hint of "if we open it up to everyone, the podium would have different people standing on it".

[cstone]

This is a topic that depends on how you look at sports under different economic conditions.

Was it fair when the USSR and East Germany selected and trained the best athletes, beginning at early ages and providing state run academies dedicated to complete focus on specific disciplines? Then these athletes were competing against amateur athletes who were required to raise funds and comply with very strict amateur sponsorship rules.

Now we are watching western athletes who are sponsored by corporations who are airing digitally prepared commercials which are ready to go within hours of the end of an event.The forethought that has gone into some of the advertising campaigns has been fascinating.

The last truly internationally competitive, state sponsored team seems to be China. Today, the USA, much to my surprise, passed China in the medal count. When you look into where most of the athletes in the rest of the world live and train, no one here should be surprised to hear that many of the foreign competitors live and train right here in the USA. Basketball is a great example of this point. As the USA team (full of NBA millionaires) was dominating the Nigerian team, the commentators pointed out that most of the Nigerian team was born and/or lives here in the USA. Dual citizenship makes all of this possible.

In so many ways, the fact that the USA provides the opportunities for so many of the worlds best athletes, makes me proud and happy to be a citizen of such a wonderful country.

As we were watching Gabby Douglas tonight, I was thinking about Olga Korbut and Nadia Comaneci; two amazing gymnast I recall watching when I was young. They both eventually moved to the USA and are now citizens. Bela and Marta Koralyi both defected from Romania in 1981, and it is highly likely that they are the most important reason gymnasts in the USA are as competitive in the world today.

I can live with the millionaire basketball players representing the USA. After all, that is what makes the USA great. People with talent and discipline should be rewarded. Just because someone is better than everyone else, doesn't mean they should feel guilty or be penalized for their success. If we applied the progressive/socialist mindset to Olympic basketball, third world countries would be spotted 30 points and USA players would be required to carry three of the five competing team's players up and down the court. At the end of the games, everyone would receive the same medal and no one would be allowed to celebrate success in out competing their fellow competitors.

Obey the rules, show good sportsmanship, give it your very best. May the best person win the Gold.

[AR_ART]

I agree with cstone. I've watched the Olympics since I was a kid and I'm in my 50s now. That was always an issue. The Russians and Germans had FULL-TIME athletes. These people while payed to be soliders or whatever but spent their entire time playing their chosen sport. Only on paper were they factory workers or whatever.

They were paid to play. IMO basically no different than a professional athlete. There one big advantage was team sports. Look at the former Soviet Red Army Hockey team. Was always a force to reckon with regardless if they played against amatuer or pro hockey teams.

I think what they did for the Olympics is right regarding pro or amatuer status otherwise there would really be no way to monitor or level the playing field...

[BPTactical]

Yup, that's where the Olympics took a dump IMHO. Something to be said when a bunch of college kids can kick the keesters of the best in the world.
The Miracle on Ice team epitomizes what the Olympics were supposed to be, a showcase of the best amateur athletes.
I never understood how the Soviet Red Army factions were allowed to compete, being paid to do what they do.
Now with the professional athletes, doping, competitors throwing competitions intentionally etc.
Just another corrupt exhibition anymore......

[cstone]

A very timely article from Forbes:

http://money.msn.com/investing/the-1...paid-olympians

Apparently there are other millionaires in the Olympics and they are not all USA basketball players

[Delfuego]

They're thinking about making it 23 and under like the Olympic Soccer tournament is now...