Ben Johnson still more popular than Bolt

Some random thoughts on the Olympics....

           There’s nothing that brings a country together like a bad reffing call.  The women’s soccer match between the US and Canada involved two game-changing calls that left our nation speechless (until Canadians started voicing their opinion).  I was pleased with the public outrage, but not with the FIFA threats to suspend players for speaking out at the end of a highly emotional game.  Refs who make poor calls in a game need to be taken to task, not by players, but by the governing organization.

            The great thing about the Olympics is that women’s sport gains some prominence (and I'm not just talking about beach volleyball!)  The women’s soccer matches made headlines in the United States and Canada this year.  While women’s hockey is also strong in Canada, it gets trumped by men’s hockey.  Good thing our men stink at soccer!  That being said, there is still a bias against women’s events – the men’s 100 metre gets twice the attention as the women’s, even though in the Olympics, a medal is a medal.  Enough Usain Bolt already!

Speaking of Bolt, there’s something about this man that really rubs me the wrong way.  I suppose arrogance comes naturally when you’re the fastest man in the world.  His behaviour after the 200 metre suggested he’s above country and countrymen.  While his second and third placed teammates were honouring their homeland in their after-race interviews, Bolt was tweeting that he’s “the most naturally gifted athlete the world has ever seen.” The documentary that CTV ran on him didn’t help, portraying him as a saint right up there with Mother Theresa.  The fastest man in the world gets way too much air time.  Apparently, he also rakes in 80% of all corporate endorsements in track and field.  I should think he can afford to supply his former Jamaican school with running shoes.

            A gymnast from the United States showed what not to do when you finish second – let your disdain show when they award you the medal.  Someone on the web has made something of this, allowing you to insert her foul expression into other scenes.  McKayla Maroney is not impressed… with a lot of things.

            I’ve watched a little of the Olympics on NBC, and I must say, the Americans have some good commentators.  They know how to tell an athlete’s story without disrupting the flow of the competition or sounding too biased.  Canada has some good commentators too, but we also have Rod Black.  Known for his play-by-play in football and figure skating (yes, the two go hand-in-hand), Black always has some great quotes, known unofficially as Rod Blackisms.  His most memorable quote this Olympics was, “Jump for joy, Canada!” after Rosannagh MacLennan won gold in the women’s individual trampoline event.  Another blogger has identified a number of Rod Blackisms from the 2010 Winter Olympics.  After Virtue and Moir skated their program, there came this gem: “Flawless. If there was a slip, it was nary a slip.”

            I’ve noticed a lot of the athletes banned from the games for doping are from relatively small, poorer nations.  Is this because they don’t have the advanced technology to get away with it?  The extent of doping has got to be higher than what is revealed in tests, but of course it’s taboo to talk about.  It’s amazing how many elite athletes get caught years after the fact, such as Marian Jones who won 5 medals in the 2000 Olympics, then admitted to doping 7 years later.  In the case of Ben Johnson in 1988, it was more like minutes.  Nevertheless, it made him the most popular athlete in Canadian history who didn't win an Olympic medal.  Now that’s worth something!