Olympics
Okay, now that we had a great opening, and already saw some really interesting competition (Iraq over Protugal in soccer, Chinese world record in archery), what do you all think? Predictions? Interesting moments to look forward to? Controversies?
It looks like the basketball team is destined to bomb.
Since professionals are now allowed in
the olympics it's not the same.
I liked the idea that the olypics was one of the best ways for amatures to break into their respective sports.
Yes, we all know that other countries atheletes (russia, china, etc.) were nothing less than professionals......but so what, we still often beat them at their own game.
Now we have a basketball team in which the professionals themselves careless about being on it..........could MONEY be the reason.
The basketball team is an excellent example on how that when you recruit the best professionals....you do not always get the best.
Personally I hope they lose.......I think our best college players could do a better job then these clowns......................why because of HEART.
The other teams have it.......ours doesn't.
NC
"Personally I hope they (mens basketball team) lose.......I think ..."
I agree with that. After the women won their first game, Lisa Leslie was interviewed.... not only was she articulate and an excellent representative of USA basketball.... she scolded the men for playing "me" ball.... instead of playing as a team.... that they would do well to watch the women play as a team... parking their $8 figure egos at the curb.
Despite their two losses... the US Men's team is still the team to beat...
The US hasn't put the best men on the floor (or on the bench either) in its 2004 Olympic basketball team. As I watched the US team struggle against Lithuania, I couldn't help but think back to the real Dream Team.
As for $8 mil egos, I would be hard pressed to come up with more ego per pound (and for that time, a higher payroll) than those Dream Team members: Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Charles Barkley, etc. (except maybe if you threw in O'Neal and Kobe).
So I don't know that million $ egos are the difference. The superstars in 1992 decided to go to Barcelona, not give a list of reasons (bogus or not) as to why they were not going to participate in the Olympics. It's not just basketball. US athletes in other sports also declined to go to Athens.
There are real and present dangers now that weren't directly affecting US athletes in 1992. American athletes weren't the target of terrorism in the 1972 Olympics in Munich. Whether or not US athletes are in fact targeted now is irrelevant so long as the perception exists that they are a target.
It's been an amazing games so far, and with the exception on the men's basketball team, I think the US has done very well.
I spent a few years involved with women's basketball in Eastern Europe, and while it's true that by the technical definition, both men and women athletes in this sport would have been considered professionals, the conditions under which the lived, trained, and were rewarded for their efforts, were always far below what even Division III college athletes received in the US. Nevertheless, it was a very convenient excuse used to explain why the US wasn't that successful in a particular game or tournament. There are some real differences, such as the positioning of the three-point line. But the real reason is that basketball in the NBA is a joke. It has nothing in common with basketball anywhere else in the world. The rest of the world plays defense, works on the fundamentals, and spends hours upon hours practicing their shooting skills. The NBA is all about each player trying to be the center of attention.
College basketball in the US is much more in similar in style and mentality to world basketball. Players definitely get some rewards, but more than anything, they mostly play for pride and for the love of the game. The same is true of women’s basketball. And for those who don’t know, US women have an even bigger challenge when they play internationally. Why? Because the ball in women’s basketball is completely different in size than that used in the US.
Anyway, off my soapbox. I think the Chinese and Japanese teams have done fantastically well. Russia has done quite poorly in golds, but not in overall medal count. But the playoff rounds of some of my favorite sports are still coming up. Basketball, volleyball, and water polo should be really interesting. And the boxing finals should be great too. Finally, I’m rooting for the Iraqi team to go all the way in the soccer playoffs. What an amazing story that is.
Ultimately, as long as things continue to be safe, I think this will go down as yet another great demonstration of nations coming together to celebrate sport and competition, and the many things that make us all much more similar than we sometimes are willing to admit. After all, at what other event will you see the two Koreas come together, set aside their troubled history, and walk hand in hand under a unified flag during the opening ceremony.