View previous topic :: View next topic |
Olympic Participants |
Pro Athletes |
|
57% |
[ 4 ] |
College Athletes |
|
42% |
[ 3 ] |
|
Total Votes : 7 |
|
Author |
Message |
ferrouslupusrex
Ferrouslupusrex
Joined: 16 Jun 2007
Post Count: 369
Location: Grasslands
563 Potch
673 Soldiers
0 Nation Points
|
Posted: Sat Jul 07, 2007 2:57 am Post subject: |
|
|
Quote: |
Here's something interesting--the American Olympic teams formerly were made up of amateurs. While this word now carries a connotation of being less-than-skillful. The original meaning was one who did something for the love of it (latin root, yo), as opposed to a professional, who "professed" that skill for money.
|
B-I-N-G-O
The US should revert back to sending amateur atheletes. That way China and Russia with their newly concocted performance enhancing substances can truly dominate :*laugh*:
No seriously, it is no big deal if they send out professional, amateurs or legends. The olympic games is a sideshow and a moneymaking event. _________________ - 108 Soldiers, 1 for EVERY star.
Keynes' (Chapter 1 Hero) performing his kata
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
Amyral
Windriders
Joined: 18 Sep 2006
Post Count: 1355
Location: Sawgrass Landing
544907 Potch
4066 Soldiers
620 Nation Points
|
Posted: Sat Jul 07, 2007 10:24 am Post subject: |
|
|
Let's start with a few facts. The US isn't the only country that has used professional athletes. There was a rule that required the olympians to be amateurs for quite a while. Jim Thorpe was disqualified from the olympics and had his medal stripped under that rule (he was a semi-professional baseball player and had his medal in a completely different event, the decathlon, stripped). Some other countries began protesting it throughout the years because they didn't believe it to be fair. The rule was dropped because countries in the Eastern Bloc began sponsoring full-time "amateurs" to play, which completely defeated the purpose of it and gave them a significant advantage over other countries, who used part-time amateur athletes. This allowed pro athletes to compete in the olympics.
Every country who has pros uses them in at least some sport. You want to bitch about the NBA? Fine, Yao Ming played for China. Manu Ginobili played for Argentina, you know, the Argentina that won gold in the Olympics in 2004? The US is far from the only team that benefits from it. The UK sent their most decorated gymnast ever to compete in the Olympics. Blah, blah, blah so on and so forth, etc etc etc. If you want the US to stop using pros, then extend it to all other countries. Bar NBA players and NHL players from competing. Hell, the only reason MLB doesn't really use pros is because their season is smack-dab in the middle of it.
Should the US allow pros? Sure, every other country that has them does. The Olympics is meant to be the best athletes from across the world. The amateur rule prevented that and, when countries began to use loopholes to get around it, they dropped it. The fact that the US team won bronze rather than gold (for the first time in 16 years) is proof that the game is getting stronger outside the US and the US can't just throw a bunch of all-stars on their team and dominate anymore.
Last edited by Amyral on Sat Jul 07, 2007 11:19 am; edited 1 time in total |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Ujitsuna
Red Shoes Dance
Joined: 24 May 2006
Post Count: 4823
Location: Pale Plains
936547 Potch
12000 Soldiers
675 Nation Points
|
Posted: Sat Jul 07, 2007 10:33 am Post subject: |
|
|
It is too hard to define "part-time" and "full-time" in these scenarios, which is why I think professionals should just be allowed to participate. |
|
Back to top |
|
|
|
|