Like many of you, I saw much of Michael Phelp's run at history with eight gold medals. It was thrilling as some of the best sports entertainment I've had in a long time. Especially the come from behind relay. I was doing some serious fist and chest thumping (in a relatively subdued manner so as not to wake the children). Same goes for the Gold Medal round and the Redeem Team in Basketball. And yes, I actually stayed up till 2:30 AM to watch the game live. When it was all done I thought to myself, "why only do this once every four years?"Official Answer: Out of respect for the historical tradition of holding the games every four years. Real Answer: We only give a rip about swimming, ping-pong, track, divining, trampoline and
gymnastics once every four years. - Any more than that would be overkill.
gymnastics once every four years. - Any more than that would be overkill. As rabid as the media is to sell us entertainment, if someone thought they could sell us a world championship of swimming annually, then I bet it would be marketed accordingly. I'm sure such a thing exists, but I never hear about it. Maybe swimming, track and gymnastics needs a David Stern (NBA Commissioner) to cram these sports down our throats like the WNBA.
My final thought on the Games. The Redeem Team is awesome, but its still not as good as the original Dream Team. This isn't just nostalgic pride. In the international game, shooting and passing are king. The Dreamers played authentic 80s ball that blows the Redeem crew out of then gym. But the Dream Team was boring to watch and they never were tested. That game against Spain was in jeopardy. It was fantastic to watch our best and brightest rally together and play team ball. They won many haters over, on and off the court; myself included. As good as this was for American Basketball, a writer from ESPN 2 pointed out this was a big deal for the African American community and a feel good story - for a sport that matters more than once every four years.
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