Reflections on the recently completed XXIX Olympic Games in Beijing while wondering what happened to Rafer Johnson, Al Oerter and the Rev. Bob Richards:
Just wondering what portion of the Chinese national debt reflects the cost of the incredibly elaborate opening and closing ceremonies China used to make a positive impression of the world’s most populous nation.
While we’re talking about the opening ceremonies, there’s the matter of that cute little lip syncher who fronted for the presumably less attractive unseen child singer. What are the chances her name was the Chinese equivalent of Milli Vanilli?
I also wonder how many second mortgages were taken out by parents of U.S. Olympic athletes to pay for their trips to Beijing to see their kids perform in the world’s showcase competition. Maybe the Dunnichays could shed some light on the subject. (OK, my kids’ athletic abilities, principally in volleyball, were light years below those of Olympic athletes, but chances are we would have done the same thing had they made an Olympic squad.)
The Chinese sports machine produced its expected record load of Olympic gold medals (one young performer confessed she hadn’t seen her parents in a year), but it was an American who came away with a record eight golds in swimming. But Michael Phelps’ haul, most of it in record-setting performances, seemed to be forgotten a week later as TV commentators exuded even greater superlatives on Jamaica’s Usain Bolt for a mere three gold medals. How many American track stars (Jesse Owens and Carl Lewis come quickly to mind) had that many or more in past years?
The U.S. men’s volleyball team buckled down to “win one for the Gipper,” sort of. Even before Olympic volleyball competition began, coach Hugh McCutcheon’s parents-in-law were attacked at a Beijing tourist attraction in a random act of violence, taking the life of his mother-in-law.
Speaking of volleyball, the U.S. showed its strength in both team and beach varieties, winning three golds and a silver.
For all the fuss over Bolt’s in-your-face tactics after winning the 100-meter dash, it was a Cuban tae-kwon-do contestant who took the prize for poor sportsmanship, kicking a judge in the face. Former Cuban president Fidel Castro defended his countryman’s behavior, a classic case of the pot calling the kettle black, I suppose.
Americans are back where they belong as kings of basketball, both men’s and women’s. But in spite of the “Redeem Team’s” dominance of men’s competition, it’s evident the United States no longer has a lock on talent in the sport. But we knew that, what with all the foreigners playing in the National Basketball Association these days.
Baseball and softball will no longer be Olympic sports, the International Olympic Committee has decreed. Go figure; baseball is as international a sport as there is these days. Yet we now have competition in BMX racing and badminton. What’s next, skateboarding?
There were no demonstrations in China during the Olympics. Surprise, Surprise! China had said demonstrations would be allowed in certain parks during the two-week period, but demonstrators had to apply for permits and they had to be approved. None were.
The Chinese influence in sports extended beyond the 51 gold medals its teams accumulated, given the number of Chinese emigrants now coaching in other countries including the United States.
U.S. failures in track and field, including dropped batons in both men’s and women’s 4x100 relays, provided fodder for TV commentator jokes about laying an egg in the Birds Nest. Of course, those motormouths laid a few eggs of their own with their endless prattle and such things as firing challenging questions during interviews with U.S. competitors still trying to catch their breath after letting it all hang out on the track or in the pool.
Also of note is the difference between men’s and women’s uniforms in most disciplines. Typical is beach volleyball, where the men wore baggy garb to the women’s bikinis (which maybe reflects what transpires on the beaches of Southern California). There are two possible explanations for skimpy women’s attire: (1) greater freedom of movement, or (2) a desire to appear more physically attractive. I’m betting on the latter.
Jim Bailey’s column appears on Sunday. He can be reached by e-mail at jameshenrybailey@earthlink.net.
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JIM BAILEY: Reflections on the Olympics
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