I'd agree but then I refused to change the channel when table tennis was on. The events I end up walking away from are basketball, baseball, and other sports that we see daily.
I disagree with this. I enjoy watching athletes at the top of their field perform at their very best for their country. That being said, i do think we need to throw an average guy in there to compete for comparative purposes. Shake things up a bit.
Ty, you can honestly tell what was happening watching the fencing? LOL I could barely keep up with it in slow motion, it looked like in the gold-medal match the American was hitting the other guy first but not getting the points for it, I probably just don't understand it that's all. I did enjoy watching Brady Ellison and the boys win silver in team archery. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
LOL...it is frustratingly fast at times. Used to watch it a little at Notre Dame some, had buddy whose cousin was on their team....still not 100% on how it all works and I've watched it some even haha.
Only problem with this is that the USA would lose every event if they did this. Other countries like China, Russia, etc pick these athletes and basically create them. Take them from their families and train them in only the sport they want them for. I read a story that said a girl competing in the last summer olympics had no idea her grandparents died, didn't see her parents, nothing. Just trained the entire time.
Again though...take even Water Polo...those are guys and gals that are the professionals of their sports. Both here and abroad. This really is only an issue in the "major" sports where it is inflated like Basketball and similar sports.
We won plenty of medals before we sunk to the level of our competition. It is today, it wasn't in the past.
I'll never understand this criticism. It should be our best vs your best. I don't care about what classification you are
What I Love About The Olympics - Ultra Spiritual Life episode 38 - YouTube Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
It was supposed to our best Amateur athlete at that time. Today we have turned being an Olympic athlete into a job. In the past if an athlete might get 1 or 2 trips to the Olympics and would move on to a career making room for the next "Best" athlete. In the past young athletes who wouldn't have been expected to medal but earned experience for the next Olympics made the team now they don't because we are allowing career Olympians like Phelps. Had those young athletes been given the chance and the same training that 3rd and 4th time Olympians have enjoyed they very likely could have improved to become the Best also.
Our amateur's were competing against people who had been raised to compete in the Olympics. Many countries identify exceptional talent at a very young age and shipped them off to Olympic training centers. They were the best of the best and were never "Amateur's" per say. I personally don't care if our athletes are payed professionals or not. I want to see the best of the best and I want the US to win as much as possible.
many countries take children away from their parents unwillingly should we? many countries sanction steroid and doping practices should we? There are many Olympic sports that are still basically amateurs "for us". Like the girl who won the first gold in the air gun. She is a college student, and still eligible for the NCAA. Get away from the high profile sports and most of them are still amateurs. I can watch the best volleyball players play in the professional leagues, I can watch the best basketball, baseball, soccer, hockey all play in professional leagues.
You made my point for me. Amateur Americans were competing against professionally trained athletes from other countries. Should we do the same as them, no, but we should compete our best athletes against there best athletes. Why would we want to compete our nearly good enough athletes vs. their best?
