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Amateur Sports
Randy Black writes: "John Allen is correct to point out that the US no
longer dominates Olympic ice hockey or basketball to the extent that it did
when professional athletes were first allowed to compete. But at least part
of the reason is that a huge percentage of those US professional players originate
from other nations and as such, play for their birth-nation’s Olympic
teams despite earning millions annually in the USA playing for Dallas, LA, NY
or other American professional teams. In some cases, those same athletes are
US citizens, or living in the US on permanent alien visa permits yet, once the
Olympics roll around, hope on a jet and go home to play for Russia, France,
Italy, Great Britain and other nations.
Even tennis is not immune for such shenanigans. The recent “Russian”
winner of the women’s Wimbledon, Maria Sharapova, was raised in Florida,
yet represents Russia.
Some athletes BORN in the USA but not good enough to make the US Olympic teams,
compete on behalf of the national teams of other countries through the loophole
of dual citizenship via a parent. California born track star Malachi Davis is
a good example. His mom is from London. Having not qualified for the US team,
he obtained a British passport July 8, 2004, moved to England three days later
where he was selected to the British Olympics track team today. Thus, he will
be in Athens representing a country that he had never set foot in until last
week".
Randy Black writes: "Re the issues in favor or against amateur sports.
During the years prior to the collapse of the USSR, in reality, the Soviets
and their satellite republics, fielded “national” teams for Olympic
events that were in reality, professional teams. Soviet and other communist
nation’s athletes were literally raised by the State, funded, trained,
housed, paid a salary and fed on the pretext that they would always represent
Russia in international competition. Thus, those pros time and again won medals
against the true amateurs from the US and other western nations.
If an American athlete so much as accepted a free dinner from someone connected
with a for-profit firm, he or she was banned from the Olympic and other international
competition, sometimes for life.
Only when the rules changed and the fields were leveled did the US and other
western nations begin to catch up in the medal races at the international level.
For the life of me, I still cannot see why the dozens of players in the US National
Basketball Association from the USA, China, Germany, Sweden, Mexico, Canada,
and many other nations are allowed to play as “amateurs” in the
Olympics. These athletes earn millions of dollars annually playing in the US,
yet are still “amateurs” and thus, compete in the Olympics representing
their birth nation".
RH: This does not mention individual athletes' sponsoring shoes, etc., for which they are paid handsomely. In Mexico and even in the US, players wear shirts with the name of a brand of beer on the back. I suppose the proceeds from these human billboards go to the team. not the individual.
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