The Olympics

[Teen Age Riot]

> Does anyone else out there find the Olympics to be diminished by the 
> opening up of them to professional atheletes?  Personally, when I see 
> people like Agassi, the Dream Team, etc. winning gold medals, the first 
> thing to go through my head is: "ooh, what an accomplishment; you beat 
> people who work for a living and just do this for the love of the sport."

I agree in principle, but drawing a line between professionals and 
amateurs simply ain't as easy as it used to be.  Most US Track & Field 
members recieve some sort of stipend from the government, and if it's a 
popular enough event, it can be considerable enough to live off of.  
Atheletes in a few particular high-profile events like the decathalon are 
actually sponsored by corporations.  So what exactly is the difference 
between individual corporate endorsements and corporate team 
sponsorships?  Notta lotta, IMHO.  

__________________________________________
al wang
http://www.seas.upenn.edu/~alwang/home.htm
talk request at: alwang at random.resnet.upenn.edu

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