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First they got rid of softball because the USA completely dominated that sport and there was no competition...

But I was watching the USA vs Nigeria and man I just felt bad for Nigeria. They were being dunked left and right and the USA beat them by some crazy number. I am not speaking bad of our country's amazing basketball players but I guess I am just too nice and care about other country's feelings, haha am I nuts? It was just downright humiliation I thought, hehe...

Thoughts?....

Yes because they used paid professionals. Using paid professional for the Olympics is not in the spirit of what the Olympics represents. Professional Basketball already has their prizes.

I thought they eliminated baseball because it wasn't international enough, meaning people in Africa, Australia, or even Europe would prob not participate in it.

Players from other countries are also getting paid internationally (as they were before the change for the 1992 Games)... just not nearly as much annually on average as the big wigs dish out here in the good ol' U S of A.

And the international community is fine with that. The reason they're even as close as they are getting is because they're stacking the deck with NBA and almost-NBA-quality talent, the latter often Americans who qualify themselves by playing for other countries.

Nigeria's leading scorer (Ike Diogu, by default) has played in the NBA for 7 years. They'd much rather lose by 90 to LeBron James and get postgame autographs and later brag to grandkids about individual plays against likely Hall of Famers, than lose by 1 to the likes of Robbie Hummel.

I guess what I wonder about pros from various sports at the Olympics is why would they even bother with the Olympics? To the pros the Olympics means nothing to them. For most, the Olympics actually has lower prestige (not to mention pay!) than other events. For example, most pro tennis players value Wimbledon much higher than the Olympics; same for soccer/football and the World Cup, and so on.

nicobolsillo saidI guess what I wonder about pros from various sports at the Olympics is why would they even bother with the Olympics? To the pros the Olympics means nothing to them. For most, the Olympics actually has lower prestige (not to mention pay!) than other events. For example, most pro tennis players value Wimbledon much higher than the Olympics; same for soccer/football and the World Cup, and so on.

It's the marketing potential mostly. Win the gold and you boost your national Q-rating, plus you get international eyeballs that you don't necessarily get drawn onto you when you win your national/continental pro title.

Another event they should take out is trampoline .... I'm sorry, but jumping on a trampoline is just fun, that is not an olympic event

AMoonHawk saidAnother event they should take out is trampoline .... I'm sorry, but jumping on a trampoline is just fun, that is not an olympic event

LOL! I actually agree with this, because many of the Olympic spots that artistic gymnastics used to occupy were sacrificed when trampoline was added to the Olympics in 2000. Gymnastics is allotted only so many participants across artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, and trampoline.

they got rid of baseball and softball because not enough white-people countries played it, i.e., the cluster fuck of ego-centered history that is collectively called europe. tons of white people countries have basketball teams, so it doesn't matter if countries on other continents don't.

AMoonHawk saidYes because they used paid professionals. Using paid professional for the Olympics is not in the spirit of what the Olympics represents. Professional Basketball already has their prizes.

+1

Olympic athletes must be amateurs, not professional.

IOC should have thought of that decades ago before their 'professional' players from other countries, playing together for years before the Olympics, were beating USA's amateur players cobbled together for a few months. The pros in the Olympics in all sports are there because the IOC got tired of figuring out who is doing this for a living and who's doing it just for kicks and giggles. Too late to close the barn door now.

n8698u said

AMoonHawk saidYes because they used paid professionals. Using paid professional for the Olympics is not in the spirit of what the Olympics represents. Professional Basketball already has their prizes.

+1

Olympic athletes must be amateurs, not professional.

Agreed.

Obviously you guys are talking about something you don't know about. There IS competition abroad and USA is NOT the only team with paid professionals.

In 2004 they lost and took bronze. And most international NBA players go and represent their country in the Olympics... Like Dirk Nowitski - germany, Marc/Pau Gasol - Spain, Tony Parker - France, Steve Nash - Canada .. Brazil has about 4 players on its starting lineup from the NBA

Its just that pro basketball started here so we have a lot more players. thats all.
getting rid of basketball in the olympics is foolish.

The Olympics should represent the very best athletes in the world in each sport, so I have no problem with paid professionals being part of any Olympic team. As for basketball being eliminated...no way!!!

CuriousJockAZ saidThe Olympics should represent the very best athletes in the world in each sport, so I have no problem with paid professionals being part of any Olympic team. As for basketball being eliminated...no way!!!

+1

I was watching that game with some Nigerian friends of mine and I could not stop laughing. Very humiliating. That's what you get when the team is ill prepared and the government thinks they can get the best by not motivating the players. More money and more practice is needed. The likes of Akeem Olajuwon did not get to that level with the type of attitude I saw with those players. It was our first time qualifying for that event anyway. We are not doing too bad.

Basketball won't be kicked off. It is an international sport. Asia is getting into it thanks to Yao Ming and now Jeremy Lin. Europe has enjoyed it for quite some time.

USA struggling agaisnt Lithuania at the moment, haha.

they will not get rid of basketball but there is a movement to look at not allowing paid professionals participating in olympic sports, the difference with team USA is that it is completely made up of NBA players where other countries have 2 or 3 NBA players with the rest of the team made up of "amateur" players

canuckguy74 saidthey will not get rid of basketball but there is a movement to look at not allowing paid professionals participating in olympic sports, the difference with team USA is that it is completely made up of NBA players where other countries have 2 or 3 NBA players with the rest of the team made up of "amateur" players

USA would still compete for a Gold. Our college players can match the amateurs of the other countries. Remember if they made that a rule the other countries would have no super stars as well. And paid professionals are part of the Olympics. Hello, Michael Phelps makes millions of dollars, he is not an amateur.

The old system, where no professionals were allowed, was a mockery. The players and their backers would twist themselves into knots to find a way to compensate the athletes while preserving their "amateur" status. But it was a sham, and everyone knew it---with the consequence of a growing disrespect for all Olympic rules, not just that one. When you see a particular rule being evaded so nakedly, it's natural to have contempt for the other ones. So they made the decision to allow professionals in an attempt to preserve what remained of their authority. Good decision? Bad one? Who cares, it was the only workable one.

I agree MSUNTX most elite Olympians are making millions of dollars in sponsorships and endorsements, also there is no way that they will get rid of pros playing basketball, it's too big of a draw and makes huge $$$ in ticket sales, same goes for tennis, soccer, and in winter, hockey...if these guys/girls were not there seats would be empty

It is possible for team USA to lose. They lost in the 04 Olympics and in the 06 world championships. Talent on paper doesn't always translate to a gold medal. That's what makes basketball so great.

Yes,

And we should Eliminate science and math because Japan and Korea make us feel bad.

Aggieboy saidFirst they got rid of softball because the USA completely dominated that sport and there was no competition...

But I was watching the USA vs Nigeria and man I just felt bad for Nigeria. They were being dunked left and right and the USA beat them by some crazy number. I am not speaking bad of our country's amazing basketball players but I guess I am just too nice and care about other country's feelings, haha am I nuts? It was just downright humiliation I thought, hehe...

Thoughts?....

no. all they have to do is ban professional players.