U.S. basketball loses

[jwvdcw]

Puerto Rico!!

[bugstud]

Can anyone tell me why they get a team?

[Punker]

Puerto Rico, or the USA?

[jwvdcw]

[ QUOTE ]
Can anyone tell me why they get a team?

[/ QUOTE ]

[img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]

[smudgex68]

They also lost to Italy the week before last

[benfranklin]

amateur: noun, an athlete who has never accepted money, or who accepts money under restrictions specified by a regulatory body, for participating in a competition.

I realize that the term "amateur" has been abused beyond belief in international sports, but how can anyone keep a straight face talking about NBA millionaires as amateur Olympic athletes? Granted that they played like amateurs today, but the "Dream Teams" in the past were like the Yankees playing a Little League team.

I know that the change to let NBA players play was made severl Olympics back. Why was the change made, and what was the rationale?

[Sundevils21]

yea but Italy was an exhibition, this one counts. big difference. Italy was like preseason.
First USA/NBA team to ever lose in the Olymipics. Maybe it's arrogence, but I feel embarrassed.

[jwvdcw]

[ QUOTE ]


I know that the change to let NBA players play was made severl Olympics back. Why was the change made, and what was the rationale?

[/ QUOTE ]

1.Money
2.To truly send our 'best' to the games. Why does amateur/pro matter at all? You do realize that many of our track athletes or many other events also are pros, right? In other words, they make money during non-olympic years competing at events. Why is basketball different?
3.Money
4.To promote the NBA.
5.To make other countries better. You can't tell me that this hasn't happpened.
6.Money.

[smudgex68]

[ QUOTE ]
yea but Italy was an exhibition, this one counts. big difference. Italy was like preseason.
First USA/NBA team to ever lose in the Olymipics. Maybe it's arrogence, but I feel embarrassed.


[/ QUOTE ]

No need to be embarrassed, most people watching the Olympics have probably never even seen a basketball game.

[Martin Aigner]

If it was like back in the 60s / 70s, nobody would be interested in the olympics. Money is involved in everything, and there is probably no sports team on earth which doesn´t have any sponsors.

Way back in the 70s there was a quite famous incident, where the winner of the olympic downhill race was disqualified for having played a fun soccer match wearing a shirt with a name of a coffe brand on it. A photo of him was published in a newspaper, and this was enough to disqualify that guy. Guess the olympic parade would last for about 2 minutes if you still had to meet the same criterias.

Since drawing the line between amateurs and pros can be very close and unfair it was the best to open the games for everybody.

Best regards

Martin Aigner