On Friday, the US Men’s Olympic basketball team, starring some the greatest players in the sport, will face off against Argentina in the semi-finals of the Olympic Games. Additionally, the US Women’s Soccer team will square off against Japan, the same team that beat them in last year’s World Cup, in the finals for the Gold.
The question is, does an Olympic Gold Medal mean nearly as much as winning a professional championship? The answer is no, at least in America, based upon how we view our sports. In fact, the two most popular American sports; football and baseball, are not even in the Olympic Games.
As of now, Roger Goodell and the NFL are considering making American Football an Olympic sport. However, this is a long shot due to lack of player and fan interest. In fact, the 2012 London Olympic Games have proved this with their struggle to fill seats.
Besides, is there more of a chance that fans would value a US Gold Medal for American Football or a Super Bowl victory? A Gold Medal doesn’t stand a chance against a Super Bowl ring, which Americans are obsessed with. Even if the sport miraculously was accepted into the Olympic Games and we won Gold, it wouldn’t mean much of anything. Because, like basketball, the foreign competition really doesn’t stand a chance, and it’s not as much of an accomplishment.
Baseball has come up with the World Baseball Classic as an international baseball competition, with an Olympic format. However; it hasn’t gained much popularity or legitimacy amongst the fans or players. In fact, many star players backed out in order to not risk injury or shorten their Spring Training.
As for basketball, the competition that seems relevant isn’t the 2012 team against the foreign competition. It is the 2012 team against the 1992 “Dream Team.” Hardcore basketball fans are much more intrigued by that than the actual games going on. And the players don’t get as excited for the Olympics either. It was only in 2004 when the top stars in the game opted not to join the Olympic squad. And it’s likely that that trend ended only because the US was criticized for winning an embarrassing Bronze.
Bottom line is, the basketball team wants to win a Gold Medal because they are expected to, and would be humiliated globally if they didn’t. It wouldn’t be surprising if none of them lost a minute of sleep if they found out basketball was no longer an Olympic sport in 2016.
As far as soccer goes, it’s clear that the World Cup reigns supreme over Gold Medals. The competition of the World Cup makes the Olympics seem second rate. Of the 16 countries that took part in the men’s division, only three countries (England, Spain, and Uruguay) ranked in the world’s top ten. And technically, England represented Great Britain rather than itself.
Also only nine of the countries even took part in the most recent World Cup, which features 32 teams, in 2010. Powerful and relevant countries that didn’t participate in the Games, include Germany, Italy, France, Portugal, Argentina, Holland, United States, etc.
For the other major American sports consisting of golf, tennis and hockey; the thoughts are the same. Golfers would rather win major titles, tennis players would rather win grand slam titles, and hockey players would rather win a Stanley Cup. Unless Americans gain a newfound respect for the Olympics, or until the Olympics figures out a way to make their medals more relevant, fans and the players will never care as much.
However, in the 2012 Olympics, there’s at least one completely legitimate title that will be just as, if not more significant than a championship title. That is the Gold Medal for Women’s Soccer. Of the twelve countries featured in the tournament, eight are in ranked in the world’s top ten. Teams such as the #1 USA, #3 Japan, #4 Sweden, #5 Brazil, #6 France, #7 Canada, #8 Korea DPR, and #9 England (as part of Great Britain). The tournament includes the world’s best competition, and that’s exactly what the Olympics should be. We at GlobalGrind wish the US Women’s soccer team luck in today’s matchup.
Overall, the Olympics will never be in Americans’ best interest. It lacks their favorite sports, the best competition, and it doesn’t pay up nearly as much as a Super Bowl, World Series, NBA Championship, Major Title, Grand Slam Title, or World Cup.
