Thoughts Concerning the Olympic Basketball Gold Medal Game (football, professional, athletic)
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I watched the United States obliterate Serbia in the Olympic Gold Medal basketball game. Even before the first tick of the game clock, Serbia had essentially no chance of winning. It was Serbia against a basketball powerhouse. As I watched the game unfold, a memory came to mind that perhaps says something concerning the overwhelming American victory, and maybe in some way, sports in general.
When I was about 14 years old I would occasionally play in neighborhood sporting competitions with other boys. One of the kids was Michael Crouse. At that time, Michael was sort of semi-retarded 12 year-old. He went to regular public schools but took special classes. Michael had a basketball hoop on his garage. The hoop was not of regulation height. It was somewhere around 7'. I know that at age 14 I could dunk on it. Anyway, one day I was shooting on the basket with Michael when he challenged me to a game to 15 baskets. I agreed.
At the 6 basket point of the game I was winning by something like 6-1. Michael was lucky to have gotten the one basket. At about the 10 basket point, little, 12 year-old Michael was getting very upset just out of pure frustration. I ended up winning with a score of something like 15-3. I won because I was a helluva lot better. I was older, bigger, stronger, and about everything else. I found no reason to feel good about the victory. The win was meaningless.
I learned that day that for a victory in an atheistic event to have value, the competitors have to have the same advantages and opportunities to succeed. That includes things like inherent abilities. I did not watch the Gold Medal ceremony.
There are a few ways men's basketball can lose, even if they have greater individual talent, but they're all one where the world has to cross their fingers. The first way is when the team devolves into a bunch of idiots who believe their individual athletic ability will beat an entire team. So there's no ball movement and guys just hold the ball for the whole shot clock and then force it up. The second way is when assembling the roster, so many US players opt out that a lot of times it's like four guards and a fake center. But, yeah, in general, winning a gold is pretty pointless.
It's even worse for women's basketball, but then again nobody cares about women's basketball, if we're being honest.
Not sure if you watched all of the games, but the US came close to losing two of them. We also lost in international competition with a prime Lebron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Paul.
The U.S. still has the best basketball talent but the gap between us and the rest of the world has closed significantly since the 1992 Dream Team.
Actually, the point was made by the commentators that the issue is that while the US constantly "reloads" players, the non-US teams don't. So, yeah, a few years ago, the Gasol brothers were great, but now they're not really much of a threat if they're the only ones on their team. France is relying on Tony Parker, essentially. The period where US basketball was on the rocks was a perfect storm. That was when there were lots of great international players and sort of weak US talent often due to people opting out. I don't really see a lot of superstar international players, although I'm also not terribly interested in basketball in general.
There are a few ways men's basketball can lose, even if they have greater individual talent, but they're all one where the world has to cross their fingers. The first way is when the team devolves into a bunch of idiots who believe their individual athletic ability will beat an entire team. So there's no ball movement and guys just hold the ball for the whole shot clock and then force it up. The second way is when assembling the roster, so many US players opt out that a lot of times it's like four guards and a fake center. But, yeah, in general, winning a gold is pretty pointless.
It's even worse for women's basketball, but then again nobody cares about women's basketball, if we're being honest.
I guess my overall point is: I just don't see any reason to celebrate in the defeat of a team that has far less talent and resources. In this case, it happens to be an Olympic basketball Gold Medal game, but if you look around, there are other examples. It doesn't mean a defeat of the stronger team is completely impossible, it's just that it is no great achievement to be the far more powerful team, and the team with all the advantages, and win.
Basketball is quite popular in some Asian and European countries. When I was in China, the PE class always teaches basketball.
I don't like to watch it much but occasionally I play it.
Europe has had professional basketball leagues since the 1950s.
I know they have basketball in the old Yugoslavia (I was married to a Croatian) but I don't think they have basketball anywhere else do they? I don't think we have one here anyway.
I watched the United States obliterate Serbia in the Olympic Gold Medal basketball game. Even before the first tick of the game clock, Serbia had essentially no chance of winning. It was Serbia against a basketball powerhouse. As I watched the game unfold, a memory came to mind that perhaps says something concerning the overwhelming American victory, and maybe in some way, sports in general.
When I was about 14 years old I would occasionally play in neighborhood sporting competitions with other boys. One of the kids was Michael Crouse. At that time, Michael was sort of semi-retarded 12 year-old. He went to regular public schools but took special classes. Michael had a basketball hoop on his garage. The hoop was not of regulation height. It was somewhere around 7'. I know that at age 14 I could dunk on it. Anyway, one day I was shooting on the basket with Michael when he challenged me to a game to 15 baskets. I agreed.
At the 6 basket point of the game I was winning by something like 6-1. Michael was lucky to have gotten the one basket. At about the 10 basket point, little, 12 year-old Michael was getting very upset just out of pure frustration. I ended up winning with a score of something like 15-3. I won because I was a helluva lot better. I was older, bigger, stronger, and about everything else. I found no reason to feel good about the victory. The win was meaningless.
I learned that day that for a victory in an atheistic event to have value, the competitors have to have the same advantages and opportunities to succeed. That includes things like inherent abilities. I did not watch the Gold Medal ceremony.
NO country HAS to enter the basketball games.
I am old enough to remember when we sent COLLEGE players ONLY and the USSR countries used ALL PROS.
we usuallu lost and one of the USUALLY won.
We KNEW it was "rigged" bur, played anyway.
It is called Freedom of choice".
If you don't lie it, don't watch.
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