Olympics Amateurs-Really

Thursday, August 14, 2008 03:46 AM

Either I’m out of the loop or I don’t think that this year’s Olympics are something that the general public is getting seriously hooked on.

I confess I watched a few minutes of a game of beach volleyball, in which the Russians were pitted against another east European team. I also must confess that watching came at a dinner meeting with staff of Opinion250 and was a sort of sideways glance now and then.

I have, over the past few years, developed a feeling that the games are nothing more than professionals facing off against professionals from another country. The IOC wants it to appear that it is something special but it isn’t.

The athletes are no more amateurs trying to masked their names known in international events, they are paid for by sponsorship and government to practice every day, and we all know that practice makes perfect.

When we will watch international hockey at the 2010, we will see the best professional athletes that the teams can afford to take the time off to attend the games, going against the best professional teams from other countries. They may not be called professionals but they are in every sense of the word.

The days are long gone by when an amateur, some farm, kid, or someone from out of the blue is able to show the world that they are truly the best at their sport. Today the Olympics are a mish- mash of events for the professional, amateur athletes of the day. It simply doesn’t have the same bite as it did in yester years and the audience is showing.

I’m Meisner and that’s one man’s opinion.

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Posted on Thursday, August 14, 2008 03:46 AM in Views by Ben Meisner

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Comments

Posted by: RUEZ on August 14 2008 4:06 AM

I agree completely. I remember the days when we sent amateur hockey players to represent us in the winter olympics, and the basketball teams didn't consist of the entire NBA roster.

Posted by: Wileycoyote on August 14 2008 6:55 AM

All valid points but still, there is talent involved and national pride. All of Canada is proud of Steve Nash even though he makes millions playing professional basketball. Its all about national pride and if our best "professional" can compete with another countries "professional" and win we will still feel great.

Posted by: EdH on August 14 2008 7:37 AM

Well the professionals still come from somewhere. A lot of NBA players have very humble beginnings. Pro hockey players still started out slapping a tennis ball with a stick on their driveway. The only distinction professionals have over amateurs is that their sport is their livelihood. If you're that good at something, it should be.

Posted by: Andyfreeze on August 14 2008 7:57 AM

While I see where Ben and others are coming from,I have always felt that once an athlete is actually recieving a paycheck for what they do, they should no longer qualify for a venue like the Olympics.
To me, that is the line between "amateur" and "professional" sports and the Olympics (IMO) should be strictly for "amateurs".

Posted by: realitycheck on August 14 2008 9:01 AM

Remember the days when we walked both ways to school uphill??...yeeesh! Times change, move on.

The Olympics has been about professional athletes for many, many years now so where you been hiding?

The only "amateurs" left are those who participate in sports that no sponsor is interested in throwing a whack of cash at. If skeet shootong was popular you can bet they'd all be "professionals" too. E

Every Olympic athlete with a remote shot at a medal is paid to some extent..the day of the true amateur is dead.

Posted by: Howrd_B_Stern on August 14 2008 9:11 AM

And all those "State" players that played for the Soviet Union in their olympic hockey glory? What made them so amateur?

Posted by: Andyfreeze on August 14 2008 9:17 AM

You are correct realitycheck,but that doesn't make it right.
And the day of the amateur is NOT dead.
Not everyone gets to collect a paycheck for what they are good at in regards to sports.
Many remain "amateurs" all their lives.

Posted by: NMG on August 14 2008 9:42 AM

I somehow doubt that when the Olympics were started in ancient Greece, that they were intended to hold a competition for people who weren't quite at the "peak" of their sport. They were probably always about elite athletes competing against each other.

The difference as I see it is that in those days, the notion of a professional athlete was likely a very foreign or non-existent concept. People didn't make their livings running or wrestling. They were soldiers, philosophers, etc.

I think the distinction between a professional and amateur athlete is a purely modern times concept and as realitycheck said, it's very much determined by the willingness of someone to pay the participants involved in that sport. It really has nothing to do with who is the best athlete. Some pros may be the best in their sport. Some may not be.

I think the spirit of the olympics has always been about seeing the best compete. In those regards, let everyone have a chance to be involved. Have the best athletes from each country competing against each other and see who wins. To me, that embodies the historic intent of the games.

Posted by: Loki on August 14 2008 9:52 AM

This issue of allowing pro athletes in the Olympics got started with the Russian hockey team back in the '70's.
It was discovered that the majority of the Russian hockey team where conscripted into the Russian Army and allowed (made)to practice and play hockey all the tie.
The USA objected so the IOC allowed other hockey teams to even the playing field with their own Pro players. Now it this one small crack in the amateur rules that has escalated into the elite competition it has become today.
They should disqualify every pro athlete from the games up to and including Soviet Army players.
But then it would be up to each country to provide funding and resources for training.

Posted by: diplomat on August 14 2008 10:12 AM

I believe the Olympic *amateur* thing became extinct about the same time the 8-Track tape player went out of style.

Posted by: Born in BC on August 14 2008 11:10 AM

I think that the competition in the sports where they truly cant make much of a living as a "professional" is still valid as it is the only real stage to showcase the skills. No one cares about swimming or rowing or weightlifting until the Olympics. The pro sports such as hockey and basketball are there to help draw people more than showcase skill.

BTW Ben if you are referring to the Russia vs Georgia womens match that was a fantastic match. Georgia (David) vs Russia (Golaith) with Georgia winning while Russia and Georgia waged war. That was an amazing story.