Professionals at the Olympics
As much as I love hockey, and as much as I support Team Canada, I have never supported the allowing of professional competitors at the Olympics. It started with the "special rules" for allowing athletes to drop their professional careers to re-qualify as an amateur in order to compete at the Olympics. Then they let professional basketball players at the summer Olympics. Then the trait continued with letting professional hockey players into the winter Olympics.
The Olympics are meant for amateurs. This does not mean that I question an athlete’s desire to represent his or her country at the Games. What I question is allowing those who already have a professional career to compete against those who don’t.
An article in the Vancouver Sun yesterday raised some interesting points about Women’s Hockey. It has risen from an almost unplayed genre to one which has become increasingly popular, with positive role models for young women and girls playing for the pure love of the game. Yet they are criticized for playing with discipline, for working hard to play as a team, and for winning. There is even talk of the sport being in jeopardy because the level of competition is so high. Yet they allow professionals to play in some of the events. Professionals who by most standards, would be competing at very levels of skill.
So, why are the professionals allowed to play, when we have amateur teams who play just as well if not better than the pros? Why are nations creating teams from those deemed "talented and skilled" enough to play in the NBA and the NHL? What is wrong with our amateur junior teams? Is it that the Olympics committee is looking for the dollar factor of big name draws? Personally I think that the amateur competitors are well known, well respected and certainly skilled enough to draw the viewers and the paying spectators. I for one would be supportive of seeing the "allowing of professionals" rule turned back, so that only bonafide amateurs can contend for the medals at the Olympic Games. What’s your opinion?