Olympic gold versus sportsmanship

So, who benefits financially from the Olympics after the hype is removed? Not the games host, as history shows. Some claim the purpose-built venues become valuable infrastructure. Usually not, as hastily built structures soon crumble, require rebuilding, demolition, or costly maintenance—read taxpayer.

The athletes who cost millions to train and if successful pocket millions from personal endorsements, returning nil to—read taxpayers. Other than proud flag waving for two weeks, the prime benefactor is the International Olympic Committee who clips billions from media rights, trademark sales, and the like.

“Sportsmanship”, the noble precept of "competing" rather than winning is crap—ask a sponsor, winning is everything. Millions are spent to catch drug cheats, teams banished for game fixing, dummy-spits drowning in tears, and vandalism by a drunken rower is sportsmanship, is it? How different from the original 8th century BC Olympics when toga-clad athletes tossed cow-pat discus and raced over cornfields hurdling grazing goats to win laurel wreaths.

It seems the IOC has become an expensive self-serving, bloated monster that has morphed the concept of "sportsmanship" into a contest between those with the deepest pockets? But it sure feels good when we win.

Thought for the week: I would prefer to fail with honor than win by cheating. Sophocles