On the Olympics

Many people have commented on the lack of attendance at sporting events in the Olympics. I think this is tri-fold. The first being the lack of confidence in the public for the Greeks to provide adequate security. If they couldn’t build the arenas on time, what about security. (Now, however, the bulk of security, the US is providing now anyway). There is also a lack of facilities in Athens, like hotels. It’s also about how expense everything is. The announcers said that a ticket for the gymnastics final was €200 each, but scalpers were selling them for €100. It’s supply and demand. Do the organizers really think they will sell out when a ticket is costs €200, which is currently $240?
Everything from the cost of tickets to the cost of a hot dog become so unreasonably expensive that people stop going and the promoters and the politicians wonder why. It’s like baseball games. I would like to go to an Olympics someday, but I knew Athens wasn’t the place. It’s quite a dirty, congested city if you ask me.

Regarding the openings ceremonies, the Americans weren’t allowed (by the US) to carry and wave the little Americans flags for fear of offending someone. Simply Ridiculous.

In basketball, I am displeased with the American team. First off, it doesn’t deserve to be called a Dream Team. Almost every real NBA star had something better to do than play for the USA. The team is filled with a lot of rookies. Many seem to lack the character and class of the 1992 or 1996 teams. Tim Duncan seems to be the major standout. (And although I don’t like Iverson much, at least he came). The team only met 3 weeks before the Olympics to start practicing. So they do not seem to play well together. There are 5 individuals playing, instead of a team. I think they expected to waltz out onto the court and beat everyone without really trying. Then again, perhaps this reflects the attitude in the NBA. Gone are the days of shooting and defence. Now it’s dunks, swagger, and sneaker contracts. They’re not playing against children, and have deservingly lost. Perhaps not winning the gold would be a good thing. Perhaps it would be a wake up call to the NBA players to actually play and actually take it seriously.