We are not even a week into the Olympics this year, and it seems that everyday I get on yahoo I see another headline about something stupid involving athletes getting kicked from competition, or getting bitched at.
First there was the Snowboarder that got bitched out about not dressing formal, and making a statement that the Olympics are just another competition to him. He was forced to make a public apology over this. Why? He’s a snowboarder. It’s not like the snowboarding community doesn’t already have the X-Games.
Then there’s the thing about the hockey player with the painted helmet. Ok, he has Miller time on there, that one I understand, but the rest of the stuff was patriotic, or a tribute. How is that a problem?
Then there was a story from the last winter Olympics about a guy that was banned from that years competitions because he was using a drug to try and keep from going bald. BALD! How in the flying fuck is that going to do anything to his ability to compete?!
Today a female luger (one who is in the luge) can’t compete because she was .2kg off on extra weight for her gear. Apparently if they weigh less than 75kg they can bring up to 75% of the difference in extra weight to even things up with the larger competitors. She was off by less than half a pound.
Should she have made damn sure before she went? Yes, but that is no reason to kick her from the event instead of letting the extra weight be removed.
I am so very sorry, but the Olympics has gotten out of control with all the damn regulations, rules, and everything else. Like everything else it’s become a way for a city to make a shit load of money, it’s not about the athletes anymore, it’s about who can walk away with the biggest profits.
It is my opinion that athletes should start a strike against the Olympics until the people that run it get it through their thick skulls that they are not the reason people go to, and/or watch the Olympics.
Protest, picket, whatever has to be done to get things back under control.
What do you think?
