Not Very Olympian

Good morning,

I've been wondering how I could write about these latest Winter Olympics without sounding like I don't have the utmost respect for those who would put on this nation's colors to compete against the best in the world. I have to say I do have respect for Olympians, shoot.... I even have respect for the word, it's just cool. Throughout time, there have been just a few people who have had the honor of being called an Olympian, some have recognized the honor, though there are always those who just don't get it, nor care.

This year, the Winter Olympics ended with a parade of Pagliacci's (a tragic clown from an opera), which I couldn't help but see as somehow symbolic of some of our own tragic clowns we had the misfortune of sending out there to represent us to the world:

*Bode Miller: Dubbed the "American Rebel" by Time Magazine, he seemed to try real hard to live up to that name by rebelling against Olympic competition entirely (0-5 in all events), partying until the wee hours of the early morning in Torino nightspots, giving a particular middle finger hand gesture to photographers, and making a public spectacle by shouting obscenities at autograph seekers and bar patrons. Imagine how he would act if he were truly famous, instead of simply riding high point of his "15 minutes of fame". Yikes! In the days leading up to the games, Bode gave a series of controversial interviews, one to 60 Minutes where he admitted to skiing while drunk, and a Rolling Stone interview where he accused Lance Armstrong and Barry Bonds of performance enhancing drug doping. Mr. Miller publicly scoffed at the idea of fame yet he signed big endorsement deals with Nike, Barilla, and a video game company, which I can't say I blame him for trying to cash in a bit, but the move seemed premature as he was on his way to the Olympics, not celebrating his performance in them. Doin' the victory dance before winning something is always a slippery slope for one to travel. (no pun intended... LOL*) Imagine him strolling into the offices of Nike now, saying "I think you should give me a deal, I just got back from the Olympics where I did not finish two events, was disqualified from one, and placed 5th and 6th in the other two I did finish, I partied and socialized on an Olympic level, made out with a Playboy bunny, avoided the international press every chance I had, and offended just about everyone I came into contact with! Whaddaya think?" I can just imagine the googley-eyed look he'd be getting as they showed him the door. After all was said and done, Bode remains unapologetic as he still sticks to the story that medals didn't matter much to him, he is simply interested in maintaining his quality of life, he still maintains that he skiied well, and "Rocked!" as he so put it. All I can say is rock-on Bode Miller, all the way back to the New Hampshire woods, shut up, and get lost.

*Johnny Weir: This guy just creeped me out, especially after news accounts of him being upset with his accomodations in the Olympic Village, where he complained about his room being dusty, the bed being too hard, the town being old and dirty, and having to carry his own luggage. When asked about all the complaints he was raising, he simply said he won't stop being "princessy" when it comes to travel. Ewww. On the evening of his event performance, "Mr." Weir missed his bus that was to take him to the arena, and was seen scurrying through the streets of Turin trying to catch a ride (perhaps some understandable Turin revenge at work, as the bus schedule was changed), he arrived late and skated a forgetful performance. In the days leading up to his event, he was often photographed practicing while wearing a red CCCP jacket (cyrillic script for USSR, the former Soviet Union), he defended his actions by saying he was an "admirer of Russian culture". Does this guy not understand that he was there as an athletic representative of the United States, and that reminders of the former Soviet Union mean something entirely different to the people of Europe? Sheesh, what a baffoon (I use this word in place of what I'd really like to say), but somebody saw it fit to send the "princessy one" over there, and without a USA jacket he might have enjoyed wearing. We can't presume he'd enjoy wearing it for what it represents, but maybe for it's "stylish value"? Ewww again, Sheesh!

Before I get comments posted saying I'm picking on the guy because of his particular "orientation", I should say I have nothing against people of "other lifestyles", my commentary doesn't come from that sort of perspective, and I'm not singling our Mr. Weir because of his orientation. I'm sure he's a hero to someone out there, and if that's the case, then have at it. Shoot, I say live and let live, whatever, doesn't matter to me, but if someone is going to wear the colors of our country and compete in our name, they should conduct themselves accordingly, and put aside all of the other BS they might choose to carry with them in their daily routine. To be an Olympian is a responsibility, to one's country, to the kids of this nation and the world who might look up to them, and most importantly to themselves, and their competitors. Someone once said, "everyone has to respect something, might as well start with yourself and work from there." Good words, that Mr. Weir seems to have never heard while growing up. The Olympic Committee needs to think good and hard before they make the mistake of sending this clown to the Olympics again, if they have to send him somewhere, send him to Russia so he can "admire" the place up close.

*Lindsey Jacobellis: This girl can sure snowboard, but a hot-dog move will surely resign her to television immortality on "Most Embarrassing Moments in Sports" shows. During her event she had a sizeable lead over the competition and had gold medal written all over her, until she tried to play to the camera with a show off move that caused her to fall. All I can say is she really doesn't belong amongst the clowns listed here, as her actions could most likely be attributed to youth and excitement of the moment. It was a tough lesson for her to learn, though I'll bet her next Olympics will benefit greatly from this experience, and she'll bring home a gold medal to go with the silver she earned this time around.

*The U.S. Hockey Team: All of them, clowns. Imagine this, we had the highest paid assemblage of hockey talent on our team, and didn't even go to the medal round of competition. I'm against these so-called "Dream Teams" made up of professional sports talent, there's nothing left for them to prove, they've made their millions of dollars, they've gained their high paying endorsements, they still have a job when their season of play starts in the league, why would they want to jeopardize all of that with the possibility of career ending injury, just for a gold medal? The pay-off just didn't seem to mean that much to them. If we use professional star talent, the best performance we can ever hope to get would be that found in an all-star exhibition game, and you know what that means. Of course I'm not speaking about all of the players, I would hope there were at least a few who cared, though you sure couldn't tell in their manner of play. I don't expect a movie like "Miracle" to be made about this buncha guys, as it was a miracle they let the competition keep going as long as it did. In this era of the "ME" player, that's exactly what we got, such as Mike Modano demanding his own row of seats on the airplane ride to Turin, did he quietly ponder the competition with excitement, hope, and fear? Nope, he wanted to show he was a star with selfish priorities. That, my friends, is why U.S. Hockey didn't win, not because of Mike alone, but because of a team full of people with like minds. Here's an idea, bring back the college kids, they have something to prove, they might still think it cool to be named to the Olympic team, they might even like having a chance to win a big medal as a bragging right, or a bargaining chip if they do make it to professional sports. Bring back someone who has something to gain or lose by their performance, and I'll bet we'll have a chance at winning some of the team sports in the Olympics again. If the Olympic Committee needs to bring in a professional element to the games, bring in the top professional coaches, and give them a crack at bringing the kids together as a team, it would be a good chance for the professional sports leagues to have a look at up-and-coming talent, and would be an invaluable teaching tool for the players. In time, we might even have a whole new element added to professional team sports, with a select few who once had a chance to wear the big USA on their chests, and learned how to hold their heads up high while representing something bigger than themselves.

There were others, but sheesh, I'm all talked out now. *LOL* By now we all have our own ideas of who did well, and who let us down. I still have respect for those who made it to the Olympics, though I can't help but wonder if I respect it more than some who were there, and that's what bugs me. Let me know what you think, am I being too hard on America's Team, or am I on the right track to what's going wrong in sports today?