Ever read a more spiteful sports "article" on AOL?

Parent Cafe
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<p>If I ever need another reason to cancel that TIME AOL service, this must be it. How do people get paid for writing such lunacy remains a mystery. </p>

<p>Dropping Baseball, Softball an Olympic-Sized Mistake
IOC Shows Anti-American Bias With Sport Subtractions
By JIM ARMSTRONG, AOL Exclusive</p>

<p>So once again, the IOC has lived up to its nickname: Idiots On Crack.</p>

<p>How else do you explain softball and baseball being dumped from the 2012 Olympics? Well, other than the obvious reason, that is. The powers that be in the Olympics detest Americans.</p>

<p>Apparently, they’re not that keen on studying history, either, since they’d all be speaking German and wearing brown shirts if it weren’t for Uncle Sam.</p>

<p>But I digress.</p>

<p>All you really need to know is this: Softball and baseball, two of the fastest-growing sports in the world, are out, and synchronized swimming, water polo and archery, the holy trinity of insomnia cures, are in.</p>

<p>Makes sense if you think about it. Provided you’re a self-important Eurocrat with an agenda.</p>

<p>Not that it’s any of my business, but did any of the stuffed shirts on the International Olympic Committee take attendance at the 2004 Games in Athens? If so, they would have seen packed or nearly packed houses for baseball and softball. Archery? There weren’t enough people watching archery to fill the night shift at Denny’s.</p>

<p>Talk about ironic. The same week the IOC announced it was bagging baseball and softball, Major League Baseball announced one of its coolest innovations in years. This week’s Home Run Derby in Detroit will be contested among players from eight countries.</p>

<p>Moral to the story: The U.S. is just another face in the crowd these days when it comes to baseball. But if you need more proof, check out the past four Olympics, when Team USA has mustered all of two medals - one gold, one bronze.</p>

<p>Which Sport Should Go? </p>

<p>The reason, of course, is that we don’t send Major Leaguers to the Games. If we did, the U.S. would dominate just as it does in basketball, where our NBA players have proven to be invincible. What’s that? Oh, yeah. Never mind.</p>

<p>There’s been speculation in the aftermath of last week’s announcement that the IOC is troubled by allegations of steroid use among U.S. baseball players.</p>

<p>Yeah, right. As if the Olympics has never had issues with steroids. Ever hear of track and field, wrestling and weight lifting? For that matter, some of those East German women’s swimmers used to look like Hulk Hogan in curlers.</p>

<p>No, this all comes down to a simple matter of geography. Fifty seven of the 116 IOC delegates come from Europe, and they don’t much care for sports Americans care about. Trouble is, Americans aren’t the only ones who care about them.</p>

<p>Take softball, for instance. Twenty years ago, it was a niche sport in the United States. Today, there are 126 national softball teams throughout the world. And you thought golf was the fastest-growing women’s sport.</p>

<p>You honestly think there are 126 countries with a passion for archery? Or taekwando? Or badminton? They all made the cut ahead of baseball and softball. So did beach volleyball, the national pastime of Iceland, no doubt.</p>

<p>Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for badminton. Any sport you can play with a cold beer in one hand and a racquet or ball in the other is OK by me. But why keep it and get rid of two sports whose popularity continues to spread? Sounds like synchronized stupidity to me.</p>

<p>What, like the United States and Latin America have a monopoly on talented ballplayers? Apparently those members of the IOC have never heard of Ichiro Suzuki or Hideki Matsui. I’d give you the entire list of big leaguers from Asia, but there isn’t enough room in the tight confines of cyberspace.</p>

<p>The only logical conclusion to all this is that the IOC wants to limit the number of medals the United States wins in future Olympics. Either that or its members have been too busy following their own favorite sports to pay any attention to softball and baseball.</p>

<p>Which brings us to soccer, yet another sport that made the cut at the expense of baseball and softball. While most Americans would rather total their cars or eat liver than watch soccer, it was, is and always will be Europe’s favorite sport. It shows on the medals stand, too, where the United States shows up about as often as Jimmy Hoffa.</p>

<p>But when is the last time you heard a U.S. Olympic Committee official say soccer ought to be dropped from the Olympics? That would be never. As in, when is the last time the IOC did something that made any sense?</p>

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<p>I believe the sports that should be dropped from the Olympics are the ones where winning the Olympics isn’t the pinnicle of their career. So sports like soccer and tennis and golf shouldn’t be added either.</p>

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<p>What’s he got against archery?</p>

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<p>Soccer is great because in even the poorest parts of the world, kids ca get together and play…all you need is one ball and some space…it is truly a world wide sport, on the other hand, football is AMERICAN with a few other countries thrown in. </p>

<p>Soccer is also played in Africa, Japan, Australia, Russia, Mexico, Guatemala,</p>

<p>The arrogance of Americans to think that their sports are the best and to say that soccer is not worthy just shows how little Americans are aware of the rest of the world</p>

<p>So what if AMERICANs don’t all watch soccer…Olympics is WORLD WIDE!!! Or did you miss that point</p>

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<p>The article appears to be a reasonable opinion that many agree with. What’s your problem?</p>

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<p>Anyone who puts down synchronized swimming is no friend of mine!</p>

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<p>They should institute male synchronized swimming! Remember the SNL sketch where that was the dude with the nose plug’s dream to be the first male synchronized swimmer?</p>

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<p>this guy cracks me up…ok lets drop soccer when it is the most played and watched sport in the world…it is more played and watched than basketball, baseball,& football combined. Seeing as how the world cup is the most watched event around the world and the world cup final is the most viewed program in the world (over 1.5 billion people watched the last one). I think that Mr. Armstrong is the one smoking something.</p>

<p>I don’t agree with the IOC’s decision, despite not being American, to drop baseball. I think it’s a good sport and more people throughout the world should be exposed to it but there is no reason for this guy to go about bashing other sports just because they are less American than baseball.</p>

<p>Once again an American proves that most Americans think they are the center of the universe and that no other country is important. I wish this country would emphasize learning more about other nations, cultures, etc. In most other countries people learn about other nations and learn other languages…it’s time for the United States to begin to mature a bit, first step stop calling itself America. You know you’re not the whole continent you are the United States of AMERICA…</p>

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<p>“The article appears to be a reasonable opinion that many agree with. What’s your problem?”</p>

<p>Barrons, I’m not sure what you see as reasonable in this article. My problem is that it found a way to insult about everyone. Idiots on crack, badminton being played with a beer in the hand, and the list goes on. The article also shines by its utter stupidity. For instance soccer is not an European sport, but the sport with the most appeal in the world. Also, presenting the entire debate as a slap in the face of American is just plain dumb. The reality is that the real culprits are the federations and the owners of baseball. They received ample notice four years ago in Mexico and did absolutely nothing to improve their image … and business practices. The reality is that the US could NOT send its MLB players because most would fail the Oluympic Drug tests. Is it worth reminding you that the US team FAILED to qualify for Athens when they lost to … a bunch of lowly chili-eating futbol-playing goatherders from Mexico who cannot even spell baseball. The saddest part is to try to present ourselves as victims when we are the sole culprits. The US baseball powers-to-be turned their back to the Olympics with a smirk and are now paying the price for it.</p>

<p>The sports were given a CHANCE to earn a space among the 28 sports in the Olympics. It is the selfishness and arrogance of people involved in running the sports that blew it. It is one thing to call a national championship the World Series and another to expect the world to accept it. </p>

<p>Rather than criticizing the IOC, we should recognize that they are genuinely trying to clean up sports from corruption and drug uses. So much for the “reasonable” label “Idiots on Crack”.</p>

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<p>“Soccer is the sports of the future in America, and always will be.” Bill Clinton</p>

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<p>Singles synchronized swimming is the BEST! (I’d also like to see them do sychronized swimming, and platform diving, by weight class.)</p>

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<p>“The arrogance of Americans to think that their sports are the best”</p>

<p>Indeed!</p>

<p>However, to be clear, would that be all Americans or are there some particular Americans–the ones, I would suppose, that don’t hate themselves or their hobbies and casual-pastimes–that offend your sensitivities so?</p>

<p>How about those stinking Canadians and their so called “Hockey”? Thousands worth of equipment and Ice time to play that bourgeois pastime. How come there is no Cambodian National Hockey Team being cheered onto the Olympic Ice? And, what about the countries whose temperate and tropical weather has caused the drowning of untold numbers of would-be-NHL wings, goalies, defensemen and centers (in the parlance of those countries: those that have “gone missing”)? Where’s our indignation for them that drowned and will never wear the regulation 9 pounds of hockey gear again? </p>

<p>Don’t even get me started with those synchronized swimmers with their Olympic pools; their cabaña bars and shower caps. OOOhhh!</p>

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<p>Maybe I’m old-fashioned, but I still prefer the Olympics when participation was confined to amateurs. How can people compete on a level playing field (excuse the pun) when some folks have corporate sponsors and other are just eking out a living but pursuing their sports because they are passionate about them?</p>

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<p>“Synchronized Swimming Mom”</p>

<p>Mmmm…Just doesn’t have the same flow as “Soccer Mom” :slight_smile: :slight_smile: :slight_smile: :)</p>

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<p>I’m a huge soccer fan, and will be playing in college. But I don’t think it should be an Olympic sport. </p>

<p>A World Cup, European Championship, League Title, FA Cup, Champions League are more treasured then an Olympic medal.</p>

<p>Winning an Olympic medal should be the culmination of 4 years work, with the Olympic medal being your ultimate goal. For soccer and tennis it’s a long way down on the list. And would be for golf too.</p>

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<p>xiggi, I don’t necessarily agree with all of your comments about where the fault lies with baseball, but I’m not going to get into that right now. I’d be interested in your take on softball. The same dynamics clearly don’t apply. The only justification I’ve heard so far is that the IOC didn’t think it was competitive enough – which is pretty lame. Yes, the US has an outstanding team, but the steamroller from 2004 is probably an anomaly.</p>

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<p>Some great posts here - made me laugh. I love the image of diving by weight class. Can you imagine if the cannonball were given legitimate status? That would be a real crowd pleaser and would attract the same crowd that wants to sit next to the whale tank at Sea World.</p>

<p>But as to the “serious” aspects, here are my thoughts. </p>

<p>First, note that the author is not advocating soccer being eliminated - he is just making the point that the American representatives to the IOC have never asked for it to be eliminated, even though it is not an “American” sport. But, he shows his lunacy by not recognizing the American women’s team as the powers that they are.</p>

<p>Secondly, his point about limiting the number of American medals is also off mark - what does that amount to? Two! Big deal. In reality it is only one since, as has been pointed out, US baseball, stocked with amateurs is far from a sure thing.</p>

<p>Third, I don’t get Xiggi’s point about US baseball interests paying a price. If you mean MLB, I don’t see how they benefit one way or the other by having baseball in the Olympics.</p>

<p>Finally, I’m not sure that the decision to eliminate BB and SB were anti-US, but the author makes a very good point that it was a stupid decision. Especially in light of the “sports” that were kept. The real losers are the athletes - both the women softball players and the men baseball players. They are the closest thing left to amateur athletes in the Olympics and have a significant following. It’s a travesty to have their sports eliminated.</p>

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<p>FF–</p>

<p>You make some good points with which I agree, but there is at least one sport that, IMHO, is closer to amateur athletics than baseball and softball, i.e., crew. There is so such thing as a professional oarsperson. Just a thought.</p>

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<p>Some Euro crew teams are semi-professional–much like the old Russian army teams.</p>

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<p>Before answeringa few questions, let me repeat that my issue with the article is not really to about the merits of the IOC, but with the tone of the article.</p>

<p>“Secondly, his point about limiting the number of American medals is also off mark - what does that amount to? Two! Big deal. In reality it is only one since, as has been pointed out, US baseball, stocked with amateurs is far from a sure thing.”</p>

<p>Not a sure thing is an understatement. US did not even QUALIFY for Athens.</p>

<p>“Third, I don’t get Xiggi’s point about US baseball interests paying a price. If you mean MLB, I don’t see how they benefit one way or the other by having baseball in the Olympics.”</p>

<p>That is exactly the point, the MLB did not see ANY interest in the Olympics. Without the US leagues and team 100% behind baseball, the sports became trivial for the Olympics. Only a few teams prepared for the Olympics. Do you remember how Greece fielded its team? </p>

<p>Let’s remember that the sport had been on probation, tepidly accepted, and put on notice 4 years ago. Nothing positive was done in the past four years, hence the death penalty. </p>

<p>Lderochi, I agree that the dynamics for softball were different. Their main problem is that softball and baseball were tied at the hip. One of the issues advanced by the IOC is that the cost of building acceptable softball stadiums
was too high on countries were the sport does not have much of a following. I find this a bit perplexing because the IOC has helped build many white elephants as part of the Olympics. Ultimately, I believe that it is the extreme regionality and lack of worldwide interest of the softball that doomed it. I guess that we would have a similar position regarding cricket: it is hugely popular in distinct parts of the world, but has limited global appeal. </p>

<p>I have to admit that the reasons why some sports are included and some other not can be puzzling. Why is taekwando in and karate out? </p>

<p>My personal view is that the IOC NEEDS to reduce the size of the Olympics. A clear message was given when two sports were axed and … no replacement came in. I believe that the costs have been spiralling and that the revenues might not keep up with the added costs, especially for security. What used to be a huge moneymaker might very well become a huge money pit.</p>

<p>Lastly, I think it is fair to assume that the IOC has abandoned the idea of true amateurship a while back. The IOC wants the best athletes on the field, not necessarily the best amateurs. The games are now called OPEN games.</p>