http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1834117,00.html
I read this article a while ago and really enjoyed it. It throws in a combination of jokes with serious talk about why the olympics need to be overhauled, like how many minor sports with little or no television coverage may have upwards of 10 medals, and ones like soccer, the biggest sport in the world have 1 for each men and women.
Honestly, how many people do you know who watched the speed walking race (seriously, not as a joke), rowing, or shooting?
Therefore, the olympics should feature and spend more time on major world games, and much less on the ones that arent so great. It underscores Michael Phelps 8 medals, never saying he isnt a great athlete, only not the greatest. Just the best swimmer there is.
The final point was all the niceties. Here is where i dont completely agree. Hes right that baseball wouldnt be better with them hugging, but the olympics need some of that to keep our countries tied together. Imagine if during the cold war, our medalist and theirs started fist fighting. That would have been used for some nice propaganda, and could have led to greater tensions with Russia, and if enough brawls happened, maybe an actual war. Sometimes we need to be nice, not for the fans, but for the safety of our world.
1 comment:
Interesting, and a bit disturbing. Not sure I agree with the author's idea that the Olympics need to be more competitive in order to promote more peace. I think the behind-the-scenes competition is much higher than the media lets on!
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