Yeah, But How Does That Make You Feel?

There, all my ideas are out for everyone to see. The end result? Nothing has changed. No more than twenty pairs of eyes have seen my blog. Did I expect a change? Should I have? I hardly expect my devoted readers to immediately start a protest on the front lawn of the White House. No, this issue will be hard to get rid of. You could always write a letter to the IOC. But is such a removed, ambiguous organization really going to care what a few Americans have to say anyway? None of them like us anyway. We win too many medals. ;)

Anyway I feel prideful knowing that such a unique topic is now out there for the world to see. So before I give you my farewell.....

GO TEAM USA!

Yeah, we rock.

Wrap It Up, Jamie!

Ok, ok. I have been on and on about our issues with government politic in the Olympics. I'm getting to the end, guys. Just hang in there...

There is no way to stop host nations from profiting from the Olympics because tourists will always flock there to watch the games in person. Certainly, governments should be allowed to make a few extra accommodations for the increased number of people in a concentrated area. The IOC should closely monitor the spending involved with these accommodations, insuring that no more is done than needed.

Nations should be restricted to the necessities when it comes to preparing for the Olympics. Since the globe cannot be rid of governments to solve the problem of their negative influence on the games, what is needed is better government. The IOC is a young organization compared to the Olympic games. While it has been a part of the problem recently, new reforms can be made to strengthen its power and control over the games. The IOC is needed to keep the spirit of the Olympics alive. The committee just needs time to mature into a solid form of government that can curb the influence of national governments and ensure that the Olympics remain true to the original Greek spirit.

The Solution to Our Problem...

A solution is not immediately clear. Government is the issue. The IOC was meant to be a way to curb the influence of national governments on Olympic proceedings. There is no absolute way to solve this issue. There will always be dishonest and greedy governments willing to exploit the Olympic games and misinterpret their purpose. The only way to stop bad government is with better government. The IOC is the only organization that has the power to successfully put national governments in their place, at least when it comes to the Olympics. Today, the IOC is not using its powers effectively (Eagle- citation in previous post).

The IOC should use its power to enforce rules that restrict nations from cashing in on the Olympics. They should disallow countries from building new arenas just for the Olympic games. This would solve the issue of nations flaunting wealth to others. Using only preexisting stadiums would give other countries a true idea of what a nation is like, which is one of the true purposes of the games. Also, the IOC should limit media coverage to only sporting events and other events deemed important enough to broadcast globally. For example, the death of a Georgian athlete before the 2010 Olympics would be an appropriate use of the media. Interviewing analysts who discuss who is to blame and pull the attention away from the accident is a tasteless use of media.

This would be an appropriate use of media in this case. I cannot show you the video in this space because, by special request, it cannot be copied from its original home. Mr. Rogge is only concerned with the death of the athlete and deflects questions that detract from the significance of the situation.

This is an inappropriate use of media. I cannot embed this video either. Sorry! This news cast is more centered around blame and the track instead of honoring a fallen athlete. Blame is not a bad topic of discussion, but at the wrong time is very distasteful.

The IOC should do more than just place restrictions on governments. There should also be more limitations on athletes as well. The IOC should enforce rules that constrain how much time an athlete can train before the actual games. They should be allowed to train in whatever manner desired at home; however, the IOC should allow athletes to reach the competition site earlier than allowed now. Five days of practice would be an adequate amount of time to allow athletes to become acclimated to the new environment and the course they will compete on. This would permit athletes to get in extra practice on the courses and playing fields they will be on, allowing them to give better performances for the judges and the spectators.

The IOC: Incompetent Organization of Cheaters

In an attempt to control the influence of governments on the Olympics, the International Olympic Committee was created. The IOC regulates the games to try to uphold the Greek ideals. They act against athletes using performance-enhancing drugs. They oppose political and commercial abuse of the games. They make rules for the games and enforce them. In essence, they are the government of the Olympics.

As is the case with all governments, the IOC also imposes certain biases on the games and is open to the same type of corruption. The IOC decision to sell the rights to use the Olympic Rings logo brought them a large profit. Jeremy Eagle, a writer who investigates modern controversies, discovered that “the decision to sell the licensing rights to the rings has brought the IOC hundreds of millions of dollars. In 1988, nine companies paid more than $100 million for the right to use the rings in advertising. The 1996 summer Olympic games brought in $400 million for those rights” (Eagle). The 2002 Olympic host country selection ignited a scandal that the IOC has yet to recover from. The IOC was accused of accepting bribes that ranged from guns to medical help in exchange for the host bid to go to the United States (Eagle). Even this international, (supposedly) unbiased committee is subject to the same vices as national governments. The mentality of claiming victory over nations in the Olympic games has spoiled the original meaning of the competition: to foster international friendships. To fix this problem, the IOC should be reinvented to focus the games around the spirit of healthy competition and building community among nations.

The IOC underwent many reforms to try to solve the problem of its government-like behavior. However, it still retained all of its previously held power. It still has the power of a government. One way to end the threat of the IOC on the spirit of the Olympics is to have the Committee stripped of all of its enforcement powers; however, in doing this, the IOC would no longer be able to regulate countries in their treatment of the Olympics. The IOC is necessary to the Olympic games, if only to provide a deterrent for dishonest competitors.

• Eagle, Jeremy. "Olympic Bidding Process." Facts on File: Issues and Controversies (2002): n. pag. Web. 21 Apr 2010.

Outline of the Issue

Nations use the Olympics as a way to bring commerce into the country. The Olympics bring in several hundred thousand tourists to the host nation to watch the events. Millions more watch the events on television. Furthermore, the attention that is given to the host country due to media coverage brings every aspect of that country into light. Only considering the money brought in by tourists, the Olympics have been turned into a lucrative business. Again, this is a massive tangent to the original purpose of the Olympics. And again, government is to blame.

Government is the issue when it comes to the tarnishing of the Olympic spirit. How can this problem be fixed? The most obvious solution is to abolish the governments of the nations that compete in the modern games. Yes, this is highly impractical and certainly impossible. So what next? One solution could be to have athletes compete as individuals like in the ancient games. This would end the issue of “anything your country can do, mine can do better.” It would also eliminate a government’s habit to exploit the Olympics as a way to bring in commerce and showcase the country.

While this seems like an excellent solution, the likelihood of ever separating an athlete from his nation is slim. Furthermore, the entire globe would lose interest. If an athlete is not affiliated with a nation, no nation can take part in the glory of the victory. No one would have any desire to watch the Olympics when they could watch their favorite basketball team on ESPN and take part in their triumph instead. This would cause the loss of the main purpose of the Olympics: to foster international community. How can the Olympics go back to its roots without loosing the positive developments it has made in the past few hundred years? In the words of Pooh Bear, we must, "think, think think."

And NOBODY CARES!

By competing as a nation, governments are given the power to control the pride of a nation and the way they are presented to the world. The governments of each nation are responsible for the shift in mentality when it comes to the Olympics. They are the ones who place such emphasis on beating other nations. The host nation is the country in which a session of the games takes place. The host nation usually spends millions of dollars to build playing arenas and spruce up the country. They do this to make the host nation look its best to outsiders, almost like international propaganda. For the 2007 Summer Olympics, China spent millions to build an arena. The government, needing a place for the colossal building, evicted 1.5 million citizens, sending them to camps that no U.S. citizen would call habitable. Ms. Lindsay Beck wrote an article on this Chinese Exodus. Canada spent millions of dollars on a program focused on winning the most medals in the 2010 Winter Olympics. The program was called "Own the Podium." The emphasis that governments place on being superior to other nations is what has tarnished the spirit of the Olympics.

So you won more medals than Zimbabwe. Whoopde freakin doo! No one cares! Do you know why? Other people have just as much pride in their nation as you have in your own. The fact that you beat them is more likely to build a rivalry, not a desire to pick up and move across the world. So let's keep defeating the purpose of the games. Instead of making international friends, let's make everyone hate us because we only care about winning more medals than everyone else. Perfect plan, everyone. I'd rather have a silver medal and a new German friend than a gold medal and no new friends. What's your priority?

The Silver Really Needs Polished

Today, the Olympic games are another way to breed prejudices towards other nations, using national pride to validate these emotions. They are also used as an attempt to prove to the world that one country is better than another. This is a severe disintegration of what the Olympics should embody. So why did the meaning switch from one of personal glory to the flaunting of national highlights take place?

To make this switch, there must have been a change in the way people group themselves. In the ancient times of the games, competition was by individual. There was only pride in one’s self, only the winner taking with him the eternal glory of victory. Today, an entire nation takes a part in the glory of one individual. Why is an entire nation of people allowed to take part in victory? Why does an athlete compete for his nation, and no longer for himself? This switch happened when nations started to compete as teams in 1896 Olympic Games. National and international politics were bound to get involved in Olympic proceedings because of this switch.

Governments just cannot leave well enough alone. They feel the need to control as much as possible. Of course governments would rather compete as nations instead of individuals. A nation is exponentially stronger politically than an individual. So national governments are now involved. And what happened? Most governments would do most anything to claim victory, even if it is by deceitful means. Go figure. Leave it to governments, which should epitomize the ideas of justice and honest, to wreck the pure spirit of the Olympics. DOWN WITH GOVERNMENT!

... Nah, I'm just joking. But really, there should be serious limits on what governments should be allowed to do when it comes to international games. And cheating is at the top of my "no-no" list.