A quick one for tonight.
The IOC is going to let them play.
A week after the IOC banned Iraq from the Olympics, it gave the green light for its athletes to participate. Now, five of the seven Iraqi athletes who qualified for Beijing will now be able to compete.
Now, remember, Iraq's only medal ever since its first appearance in the 1948 games was a bronze medal. That medal was won at the 1960 Games in weightlifting.
Seeing these athletes compete is more than just about winning a fancy medal. It's about something more. It's just about being there, being able to say that they were Olympians.
But a man was able to put it in better terms and for that, I turn your attention to Morgan Freeman.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
So, Nike Doesn't Rule the (Swimming) World
A coup is when the establishment is overthrown. And while Nike isn't the establishment in the water, it is the "man" when it comes to athletic gear around the world.
So when Nike says that its sponsored swimming athletes can wear Speedo's nifty little LZR fastskin suit, then I'm going to call it a coup.
If you don't remember what the LZR suit is, this little blog post from The Science of Sport for when the suit was first crashed the swimming party sums it up.
Now a lot of hoopla was made for when the suit started breaking world records at a breakneck pace. Specifically, countries who are not sponsored by Speedo and swimmers no sponsored by the world's largest swim wear manufacturer were not going to be at a disadvantage even before the athlete stepped into the pool.
After the results seen at the European championships, countries started to switch from the Swoosh to the Boomerang.
My guess, Nike is allowing its athletes to wear the suits because they don't wanna lose sponsorships. And even though these swimmers will being wearing their Nike caps, everyone will still remember what they're wearing in the water.
And that's probably the biggest statement of all. Speedo has outdone Nike. And it doesn't matter what the logo is on the podium, because Speedo had something to do with an athletes success in this year's Olympic Games.
So when Nike says that its sponsored swimming athletes can wear Speedo's nifty little LZR fastskin suit, then I'm going to call it a coup.
If you don't remember what the LZR suit is, this little blog post from The Science of Sport for when the suit was first crashed the swimming party sums it up.
Now a lot of hoopla was made for when the suit started breaking world records at a breakneck pace. Specifically, countries who are not sponsored by Speedo and swimmers no sponsored by the world's largest swim wear manufacturer were not going to be at a disadvantage even before the athlete stepped into the pool.
After the results seen at the European championships, countries started to switch from the Swoosh to the Boomerang.
My guess, Nike is allowing its athletes to wear the suits because they don't wanna lose sponsorships. And even though these swimmers will being wearing their Nike caps, everyone will still remember what they're wearing in the water.
And that's probably the biggest statement of all. Speedo has outdone Nike. And it doesn't matter what the logo is on the podium, because Speedo had something to do with an athletes success in this year's Olympic Games.
Monday, July 28, 2008
The Eyes of the World Will be Upon Them
Ever since Beijing won the right to host this year's Summer Games, controversy and protest have shrouded the Olympic banner, flame and any symbol surrounding the Games.
This year's Torch relay saw thousands protest in the West. There have been protests around the world about China's policies concerning human rights and Tibet. And it seemed that Chinese officials were not going to let any sort of protests happen. And even though there will be designated areas in Beijing for protesters to gather, it probably won't be seen, won't be significant and won't be of note when the opening ceremonies take place on August 8.
But it's a step, right? It's a step towards breaking down the authoritarian government imposed in China. It's a step towards allowing freedom of thought. It's a step and even though protesters won't like all the regulations and red tape they have to go through to protest at the Games, they (theoretically) get to protest at the Games.
Now I'm not trying to defend China here. What they're doing is like what the South did after the Civil War. Sure the slaves were freed, but they really weren't.
And anyway, athletes aren't allowed to protest or show any sign of a political agenda, as mandated by the IOC. That is where the most effective forms of civil protests would be able to take place. Like Tommie Smith and John Carlos' Black Power Salute in the 1968 Games, the only way to make a statement is for the athletes to do so, because the cameras and attention and the eyes of the world will be on them and not necessarily on a group of protesters in some park in Beijing.
The Germans are taking a huge step (article found via Rings). Just imagine the power of a athletes walking into Beijing National Stadium with those tshirts the Germans are handing out, or with Save Darfur banners and the like. That would send a message more powerful than any single protest outside the stadium.
The IOC needs to review its policies.
As I wrote in April, the Olympics can be a tool for global discussion, which is what this world needs right now.
This year's Torch relay saw thousands protest in the West. There have been protests around the world about China's policies concerning human rights and Tibet. And it seemed that Chinese officials were not going to let any sort of protests happen. And even though there will be designated areas in Beijing for protesters to gather, it probably won't be seen, won't be significant and won't be of note when the opening ceremonies take place on August 8.
But it's a step, right? It's a step towards breaking down the authoritarian government imposed in China. It's a step towards allowing freedom of thought. It's a step and even though protesters won't like all the regulations and red tape they have to go through to protest at the Games, they (theoretically) get to protest at the Games.
Now I'm not trying to defend China here. What they're doing is like what the South did after the Civil War. Sure the slaves were freed, but they really weren't.
And anyway, athletes aren't allowed to protest or show any sign of a political agenda, as mandated by the IOC. That is where the most effective forms of civil protests would be able to take place. Like Tommie Smith and John Carlos' Black Power Salute in the 1968 Games, the only way to make a statement is for the athletes to do so, because the cameras and attention and the eyes of the world will be on them and not necessarily on a group of protesters in some park in Beijing.
The Germans are taking a huge step (article found via Rings). Just imagine the power of a athletes walking into Beijing National Stadium with those tshirts the Germans are handing out, or with Save Darfur banners and the like. That would send a message more powerful than any single protest outside the stadium.
The IOC needs to review its policies.
As I wrote in April, the Olympics can be a tool for global discussion, which is what this world needs right now.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Hey, We Have Olympians* Too
It's so nice to see college campuses write releases about the number of Olympians that each school has ties to. Most of these Olympic athletes are, of course, former student-athletes. It's very self-indulgent of them.
Of course, the West Coast universities have a plethora of current, former and future students who are heading to Beijing for the 29th Olympiad. There are also a number of coaches with ties to schools like California (disclaimer: I went to Cal), UCLA and Stanfurd all going to coach various Olympic teams.
Stanfurd (47), Cal (45), UCLA (37) and UofA (30) are sending a bunch of athletes and coaches to Beijing. These are schools that have a heavy focus on Olympic sports, with some of these schools that have an Athletic Director specifically for Olympic sports.
But of course, some smaller schools will be sending people to the Olympics, just not to compete in any athletic competition.
UC Davis has been touting the fact that a couple of its veterinarians will go to Beijing to look after some horses. OK, maybe they'll be there to look at all the horses. Actually, Jack Snyder and Sharon Spier have been going to the Olympics and representing the Aggies ever since 1988, just out of the reach of Dara Torres' range.
Not to be outdone, the band director at Washington will be one of the directors of the 2,000-piece Beijing Olympic Orchestra. Brad McDavid will also be bringing 62 of his UW Husky Band members to Beijing.
*So technically, they're Olympians too, because we wouldn't have an Olympics without horse vets and pregame entertainment. They just don't get the opportunity to get one of those fancy medals.
Of course, the West Coast universities have a plethora of current, former and future students who are heading to Beijing for the 29th Olympiad. There are also a number of coaches with ties to schools like California (disclaimer: I went to Cal), UCLA and Stanfurd all going to coach various Olympic teams.
Stanfurd (47), Cal (45), UCLA (37) and UofA (30) are sending a bunch of athletes and coaches to Beijing. These are schools that have a heavy focus on Olympic sports, with some of these schools that have an Athletic Director specifically for Olympic sports.
But of course, some smaller schools will be sending people to the Olympics, just not to compete in any athletic competition.
UC Davis has been touting the fact that a couple of its veterinarians will go to Beijing to look after some horses. OK, maybe they'll be there to look at all the horses. Actually, Jack Snyder and Sharon Spier have been going to the Olympics and representing the Aggies ever since 1988, just out of the reach of Dara Torres' range.
Not to be outdone, the band director at Washington will be one of the directors of the 2,000-piece Beijing Olympic Orchestra. Brad McDavid will also be bringing 62 of his UW Husky Band members to Beijing.
*So technically, they're Olympians too, because we wouldn't have an Olympics without horse vets and pregame entertainment. They just don't get the opportunity to get one of those fancy medals.
Just Let'em Play and Nike Does Rule the World
I agree with this semi-op-ed on the NYT Olympic Blog.
It's a shame that the IOC stepped in a had to ban Iraq from this year's Summer Games. Okay, so it's a severe punishment that's supposed to get the Iraqi government in check and to prevent them from meddling in Iraq's Olympic Committee. But of course, the people hurt the most are the seven Iraqi athletes who qualified for the Olympics but don't actually get to go.
I don't see what the problem is with letting governments try to sway athletic committees in their nations/countries. We saw the same thing with FIFA, after it also made the same decision to ban Iraq, the reigning Asian champions in football (soccer), from international competition. That almost killed Iraq's chances for qualifying for the 2010 World Cup. But FIFA lifted the ban, after Iraq said that changes to the nation's Olympic Committee didn't effect it's soccer federation.
I don't understand why it's so wrong for an Olympic committee or a soccer federation to be state run. Also, there has to be some other way to punish a country for doing such a thing that doesn't also hurt the athletes who probably, most likely have no say in the matter.
They just want to compete. Let them.
---
I love the Uni Watch blog. It's amazing. It's like fashion-sense for the sport world.
The blog has a piece dissing Nike's Track and Field and USA Basketball outfits for the Olympics.
Their main point is that Nike doesn't use an "American" color scheme. I disagree. I like the uniforms. I think they're sleek.
Nike sure has learned from its 2002 World Cup debacle, when it used cookie-cutter uniforms for the teams it outfitted. The 2006 World Cup was much better.
And so we're here at the Olympics and Nike decided to splash some light blue on Team USA's track unis. So what? There are so many ways to adorn an athletic outfit and make it look good with just three colors. And the colors of the United States are red, white and blue. It doesn't say which shade of blue, which I think is the main point of contention.
Nike has made some awful uniforms in the past, but I think they actually hit the mark for this year's games. I especially like the kits for the U.S. Men's Basketball Team. It isn't boring, finally.
Now if there was only a way to make that Nike "swoosh" a bit smaller.
It's a shame that the IOC stepped in a had to ban Iraq from this year's Summer Games. Okay, so it's a severe punishment that's supposed to get the Iraqi government in check and to prevent them from meddling in Iraq's Olympic Committee. But of course, the people hurt the most are the seven Iraqi athletes who qualified for the Olympics but don't actually get to go.
I don't see what the problem is with letting governments try to sway athletic committees in their nations/countries. We saw the same thing with FIFA, after it also made the same decision to ban Iraq, the reigning Asian champions in football (soccer), from international competition. That almost killed Iraq's chances for qualifying for the 2010 World Cup. But FIFA lifted the ban, after Iraq said that changes to the nation's Olympic Committee didn't effect it's soccer federation.
I don't understand why it's so wrong for an Olympic committee or a soccer federation to be state run. Also, there has to be some other way to punish a country for doing such a thing that doesn't also hurt the athletes who probably, most likely have no say in the matter.
They just want to compete. Let them.
---
I love the Uni Watch blog. It's amazing. It's like fashion-sense for the sport world.
The blog has a piece dissing Nike's Track and Field and USA Basketball outfits for the Olympics.
Their main point is that Nike doesn't use an "American" color scheme. I disagree. I like the uniforms. I think they're sleek.
Nike sure has learned from its 2002 World Cup debacle, when it used cookie-cutter uniforms for the teams it outfitted. The 2006 World Cup was much better.
And so we're here at the Olympics and Nike decided to splash some light blue on Team USA's track unis. So what? There are so many ways to adorn an athletic outfit and make it look good with just three colors. And the colors of the United States are red, white and blue. It doesn't say which shade of blue, which I think is the main point of contention.
Nike has made some awful uniforms in the past, but I think they actually hit the mark for this year's games. I especially like the kits for the U.S. Men's Basketball Team. It isn't boring, finally.
Now if there was only a way to make that Nike "swoosh" a bit smaller.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Kudos to the Merc for Using the Word "Ripples"
The whole Jessica Hardy thing continues to boil over, especially as Team USA has already left Stanford, Calif., for Singapore for its final prep before the Olympic Games. And of course, Hardy is still saying that she's innocent.
Whatever FINA or whoever makes the decision about whether or not Hardy swims in Beijing, her positive drug test has sent shockwaves around the world, so much so that the San Jose Mercury-News was so excited that one of its copy editors decided to headline a story running today with the word. "ripple."
That story is about Tara Kirk, a former Stanfurd swimmer, who was beat out by Hardy in the 100-meter breaststroke at the US Olympic Trials in Omaha, Neb. Seems like Kirk really wants a spot on that Olympic roster, asking for USA head coach Mark Schubert to appeal FINA's rules and add Kirk and UofA's Lara Jackson to the squad. Under the rules, once a national team has sent in its roster, any vacated event must be filled with someone who is already on the roster.
Obviously, this is very fickle. In a true team sport, such as basketball or football (soccer), I would see why a rule like this prevents a team with a deep talent pool from just calling whomever they want to play whenever they want. For example, Dwight Howard gets hurt in that first game, no problem, Brad Miller or Amare Stoudamire is on their way from the States.
But swimming is inherently an individual sport. Is there a team medal awarded for the best swimming countries, a la gymnastics? I didn't think so. So FINA should just let whoever finished third or fourth take the place of finalists who do get suspended or have a freak injury or just decide that the air in Beijing is truly poor and skip out on the whole Olympics thing.
There's no need to punish someone who finished a swim .02 seconds behind someone who is being investigated for testing positive for banned substances.
On a side note, Australia's head coach thinks that this whole episode with Hardy will inspire the Americans in Beijing. Sure it will. I just think that Coach Thompson is just making excuses for his Aussies and preparing the media for the day(s) when the Red, White and Blue kicks their asses in the water. That just me though.
Oh, I did mention that this sent shockwaves around the world and you're asking how? Count them: 1) Australia is talking about this, 2) and Kirk is talking about this from vacationing in Ireland. It wouldn't be the first place I'd go to unwind, but I just wonder if Kirk will have to go back to the United States to pick up her $3,000 worth of Team USA gear if she does make the team, or if USA Swimming will just Fed Ex that stuff to her.
Whatever FINA or whoever makes the decision about whether or not Hardy swims in Beijing, her positive drug test has sent shockwaves around the world, so much so that the San Jose Mercury-News was so excited that one of its copy editors decided to headline a story running today with the word. "ripple."
That story is about Tara Kirk, a former Stanfurd swimmer, who was beat out by Hardy in the 100-meter breaststroke at the US Olympic Trials in Omaha, Neb. Seems like Kirk really wants a spot on that Olympic roster, asking for USA head coach Mark Schubert to appeal FINA's rules and add Kirk and UofA's Lara Jackson to the squad. Under the rules, once a national team has sent in its roster, any vacated event must be filled with someone who is already on the roster.
Obviously, this is very fickle. In a true team sport, such as basketball or football (soccer), I would see why a rule like this prevents a team with a deep talent pool from just calling whomever they want to play whenever they want. For example, Dwight Howard gets hurt in that first game, no problem, Brad Miller or Amare Stoudamire is on their way from the States.
But swimming is inherently an individual sport. Is there a team medal awarded for the best swimming countries, a la gymnastics? I didn't think so. So FINA should just let whoever finished third or fourth take the place of finalists who do get suspended or have a freak injury or just decide that the air in Beijing is truly poor and skip out on the whole Olympics thing.
There's no need to punish someone who finished a swim .02 seconds behind someone who is being investigated for testing positive for banned substances.
On a side note, Australia's head coach thinks that this whole episode with Hardy will inspire the Americans in Beijing. Sure it will. I just think that Coach Thompson is just making excuses for his Aussies and preparing the media for the day(s) when the Red, White and Blue kicks their asses in the water. That just me though.
Oh, I did mention that this sent shockwaves around the world and you're asking how? Count them: 1) Australia is talking about this, 2) and Kirk is talking about this from vacationing in Ireland. It wouldn't be the first place I'd go to unwind, but I just wonder if Kirk will have to go back to the United States to pick up her $3,000 worth of Team USA gear if she does make the team, or if USA Swimming will just Fed Ex that stuff to her.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Making Sense of Hardy's Mess
One piece of news that I am very interested that has come out in the last couple of days is potential Olympic hopeful and former world record holder Jessica Hardy's positive test for a banned substance. One of the reasons being is because I'm a huge Cal fan (as I am a graduate of that fine university) and that Hardy swam for the Bears for two years before turning pro last year.
Of course, Hardy's agent and current club coach, Dave Salo, have come out in Hardy's defense. Salo says that Hardy's positive test may have come from "inadvertent consumption."
The OC Register has the great story of how Hardy is an endorser for AdvoCare, a sports supplement company and how a handful of other Olympians have been linked to the company.
After reading that story and reading a couple of other reports, Salo (who currently is the head coach of the USC swimming programs) may be right. There is no knowing what these athletes truly put in their bodies when they take these supplements. Sure, the product may contain substances that aren't banned by sport governing bodies, but they may be contaminated.
My take is why risk such a thing? Why would any athlete risk the chance of losing their opportunity to compete by taking these substances? Do these substances really give athletes that much of an edge?
Salo's statements also remind me of when Barry Bonds was first charged with taking banned performance enhancers. Remember when Bonds said that he didn't know what he was taking?
I feel somewhat sorry for Hardy if she does lose her Olympic roster spot. There's no doubt that she deserves it. But at the same time, athletes need to know what their putting in their bodies and they need to know for sure.
Inadvertent? Doesn't matter to me. She tested positive. I don't think Hardy can get out of this pickle. If she does, then a cloud may hang over her whenever she steps into the pool in Beijing.
And, as a larger point, do athletes really need to these performance enhancers to be jump higher, be swifter and be stronger?
It has also come out now that Hardy's positive test was for a drug that normally treats asthma. To come to her defense, the Bleacher Report has this story that states that: a) Hardy has asthma and b) many athletes take asthma medication and get a pass for it.
However, the asthma medication that Hardy tested positive for is a banned substance. So, not too much to put up as a defense there.
Bottom line: just don't put shit in your body.
Of course, Hardy's agent and current club coach, Dave Salo, have come out in Hardy's defense. Salo says that Hardy's positive test may have come from "inadvertent consumption."
The OC Register has the great story of how Hardy is an endorser for AdvoCare, a sports supplement company and how a handful of other Olympians have been linked to the company.
After reading that story and reading a couple of other reports, Salo (who currently is the head coach of the USC swimming programs) may be right. There is no knowing what these athletes truly put in their bodies when they take these supplements. Sure, the product may contain substances that aren't banned by sport governing bodies, but they may be contaminated.
My take is why risk such a thing? Why would any athlete risk the chance of losing their opportunity to compete by taking these substances? Do these substances really give athletes that much of an edge?
Salo's statements also remind me of when Barry Bonds was first charged with taking banned performance enhancers. Remember when Bonds said that he didn't know what he was taking?
I feel somewhat sorry for Hardy if she does lose her Olympic roster spot. There's no doubt that she deserves it. But at the same time, athletes need to know what their putting in their bodies and they need to know for sure.
Inadvertent? Doesn't matter to me. She tested positive. I don't think Hardy can get out of this pickle. If she does, then a cloud may hang over her whenever she steps into the pool in Beijing.
And, as a larger point, do athletes really need to these performance enhancers to be jump higher, be swifter and be stronger?
It has also come out now that Hardy's positive test was for a drug that normally treats asthma. To come to her defense, the Bleacher Report has this story that states that: a) Hardy has asthma and b) many athletes take asthma medication and get a pass for it.
However, the asthma medication that Hardy tested positive for is a banned substance. So, not too much to put up as a defense there.
Bottom line: just don't put shit in your body.
Welcome to the Big Show
And yes, of course I'm trying to elicit the images of the mid-1990s when Keith Olbermann and Dan Patrick ruled the SportsCenter universe. If you (and many people of my generation at least) do not remember the best-ever SC tandem in history, then you probably don't remember where "Welcome to the Big Show" comes from. So here's the story.
Olbermann used to open their nightly sports-newscast with that statement, "Welcome to the Big Show." However, ESPN producers found it, and I'm putting this bluntly, offensive towards the other SportsCenter crews. So, Patrick and Olbermann began opening SportsCenter with a sarcastic, "This, is SportsCenter." And thus SportsCenter's tagline/slogan/motto was born.
I still think that Olbermann and Patrick are The Big Show and I'm excited to see them team up together for Football Night on NBC.
But I must digress. This post wasn't supposed to be about two of my idols. It's supposed to be about me and what this thing we call a blog is going to be about.
It's going to be about sport...obviously. It's going to be my random thoughts about random instances in sport. You'll notice that, in the future, that I'll have a sort of West Coast bias. You must understand that is because I was born and raised on the West Coast. So if I don't talk about Yankees or the Sox, then boo-hoo. You can watch ESPN's Yankees/Sox Tonight staring Karl Ravech and John Kruk.
But to start, I love the Olympics and the next month or so will be dedicated to the Olympics in Beijing.
And I'll start with a daily post about quirky things you need to know about the 29th Olympiad. Okay, maybe they won't be so quirky, but at least they'll be interesting.
Olbermann used to open their nightly sports-newscast with that statement, "Welcome to the Big Show." However, ESPN producers found it, and I'm putting this bluntly, offensive towards the other SportsCenter crews. So, Patrick and Olbermann began opening SportsCenter with a sarcastic, "This, is SportsCenter." And thus SportsCenter's tagline/slogan/motto was born.
I still think that Olbermann and Patrick are The Big Show and I'm excited to see them team up together for Football Night on NBC.
But I must digress. This post wasn't supposed to be about two of my idols. It's supposed to be about me and what this thing we call a blog is going to be about.
It's going to be about sport...obviously. It's going to be my random thoughts about random instances in sport. You'll notice that, in the future, that I'll have a sort of West Coast bias. You must understand that is because I was born and raised on the West Coast. So if I don't talk about Yankees or the Sox, then boo-hoo. You can watch ESPN's Yankees/Sox Tonight staring Karl Ravech and John Kruk.
But to start, I love the Olympics and the next month or so will be dedicated to the Olympics in Beijing.
And I'll start with a daily post about quirky things you need to know about the 29th Olympiad. Okay, maybe they won't be so quirky, but at least they'll be interesting.
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