My childhood is filled with fond memories of watching Dorothy Hamill do the “Hamill Camel;” in fact I had my hair cut just like her. Bart Conner awed me on his parallel bars. I was enthralled watching Bonnie Blair zipping across the ice. I loved watching Bruce Jenner and “Flo-Jo” running their hearts out. Who can forget the 1980 Miracle on Ice hockey team? The Olympics were a time that I, along with everyone else I knew, were transfixed in front of the television set trying to discover what happened and what was up next. Times are different now. I still look forward to the Olympic Games, but it isn’t quite the same.
There are several things that annoy me about the current Olympic structure including the fact that one takes place every other year versus every four years as in years past – with the summer and winter Olympics occurring the same year. Most importantly has been the shift to utilize professional athletes as Olympians. I loved it when American Olympians were amateurs, not professional athletes. It gave me great hope that I too could be a great athlete one day… that the Olympics were the little guys going for gold. Today, the gold the athletes seem to be chasing is more the monetary kind than medal-based.
I heard the arguments back during the 1976 Montreal Olympics that our athletes were essentially competing with professionals from other countries because the Soviet bloc countries footed the bill for the athletes training, living and other expenses. I didn’t care. In fact it made our victories sweeter – we were the underdogs! I think that is why the Miracle on Ice hockey team’s victory over the Soviet’s (the good ‘ole CCCP) essentially professional team captured our nation by storm. My family went absolutely nuts in front of our television. I remember jumping up and down thinking that our Olympians beat tremendous odds and earned that gold. Those athletes were competing from their hearts, not a pocket book of a network or the International Olympic Committee.
Fast forward to what I think was the beginning of my disinterest of the Olympics… America’s Dream Team. Being from Chicago and a basketball player myself, I loved watching Michael Jordan and his crew in action. Their basketball was pure poetry in my opinion. It just doesn’t belong in the Olympics – it belongs in the NBA. I can watch a variety of professional sports year round, but the Olympics used to be much different because the stars were amateurs and you could only watch them every four years. By turning a fair number of Olympic sports into a forum of professional athletes, it is no different than turning on the tv to watch the Cubs, Galaxy, Islanders, Pro Beach Volleyball or some other professional sport.
The costs of training for the Olympics are extremely high in order to be competitive in the global competition. I certainly appreciate the fact that athletes want to be compensated for their tremendous gifts. However, it does not have a place in the Olympics. The dream of fielding an Olympics with strictly amateur athletes was a significant part of the modern Olympics from its inception in 1894 until the 1970’s, with only one brief exception for professional fencing instructors. The amateur athlete requirement was dropped from the International Olympic Committee’s charter at that time, leaving it up to each sport’s international federation. I’d much rather we Americans lose more competitions than lose what I remember as the Olympic dream of my childhood.
I have the utmost respect and admiration for the money, time and dedication it takes to be a world-class athlete. But I want my old Olympic dream, spirit and anticipation back. Frankly, I am bitter that it is gone. My children will not have the same sense of the Olympic history and awe that my husband and I have.
Do you think a Miracle on Ice could happen again, where amateurs conquer a professional competitor and have a whole country go wild? I don’t think so… our Olympians are all playing for the NHL, Major League Soccer and the Pro Beach Volleyball Tour. I do not blame the athletes as they are just finding a forum for their craft. I blame the US Olympic Committee, otherwise known as the People’s Republic of Nike, for allowing this travesty to happen. I miss the drama, the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat — with amateur athletes.
