The 2010 Winter Olympics are set to kick off from Vancouver in two weeks. Ice hockey is arguably the most popular sport at the games because of its use of NHL players. It gives fans a chance to see their favorite players suit up for their country.
The Olympics, whether they are winter or summer should be about pride in one’s country, seeing who has the best amateur athletes, not which professionals should go over and make a mockery of the games.
Professional athletes today make ungodly amounts of money from exorbitant contracts as well as way too many endorsement deals. If you turn on the TV to any channel, chances are you will see an athlete endorsing something.
They already get enough exposure by playing a professional sport; they should not be allowed to add Olympian to their resumes as well.
Arguably, the greatest moment in sports history occurred when the 1980 US hockey team beat the heavily favored Soviet Union and went on to win the gold medal in the next game.
The team was made up entirely of collegiate hockey players, and now 30 years later, we still talk about Mike Eruzione, because he scored the winning goal. He never played in the NHL, yet he is still one of the most recognizable sports figures today because of what he did at the Olympics.
For most members of the 1980 hockey team, winning the gold medal was their highest achievement.
Even those who went on to play in the NHL, such as goalie Jim Craig or defenseman Mike Ramsey, are most remembered for what they did at Lake Placid. The team was hungry; they wanted to prove that they could play and that they belonged. If you go back to letting amateurs play, they will bring that same intensity. It doesn’t matter how unpopular a sport is, if America is playing, we want to show that we are the best. We do not care who is on our team as long as we win.
The 1992 Olympic dream team was a great thing, because you knew that you were never going to see Patrick Ewing, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson or Michael Jordan on the same team again. The dream team did what they were supposed to do, win the gold medal.
Due to our greed as a nation and our inability to see past the dollar signs with endorsements, professionals have competed in the Summer Olympics ever since.
The Olympics need to go back to being strictly an amateur showcase event. If you let college athletes play on the teams, no matter what they achieve, they can be proud of what they have accomplished. Professionals have more important things to worry about than how they perform at the Olympics, such as winning championships.
I understand that this change will take some time, but I hope that for integrity’s sake, the International Olympic Committee will outlaw professional athletes from competing at the games.
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