Text 19864, 35 rader
Skriven 2008-08-18 23:16:00 av Dale Shipp (1:261/1466.0)
     Kommentar till en text av Ward Dossche
Ärende: Re: The Games
=====================
 -=> On 08-18-08  07:16,  Ward Dossche <=-
 -=> spoke to Lee Lofaso about Re: The Games <=-

 WD> Winning a pile of medals is something, but being an Olympian is
 WD> something  else. Look at the limited list of people who got the 
 WD> "Pierre de Coubertin Medal". Lutz never won a gold but he 
 WD> sacrificed his own chances in the long jump in 1936 by 
 WD> coaching Owens getting through the qualifiers. Now 'that' 
 WD> is something.

Something that wonders me -- The olympics used to be for amateur
athletics.  That is no longer the case.  I hear that some competitors
from various countries have already received millions of dollars, and
will get million dollar bonus from their government if they win gold.
Mark Phelps is reported to have gotten millions of dollars already, and
tonight's news was talking about 50 million dollar endorsement deals
*AND* that he would probably also compete in the 2012 olympics.  To me,
that is professional sports, not amateur.

In days gone by, they stripped an olympic champion of his gold metals
because he had earned perhaps a few hundred dollars playing summer
baseball (very minor league at that).

What has happened?

                               Dale Shipp
                  fido_261_1466 (at) comcast (dot) net
                              (1:261/1466)


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