Winter Olympics - The Ugly

Actually, I only saw a few ugly moments during the Olympics. The most embarrassing one was Lindsey Jacobellis. For those who didn't pay attention, she was the heavy favorite to win the snowboard cross event which is where four people race down an obstacle course on snowboards. She was already spotlighted by being in that stupid VISA commercial where she relaxes after being told that someone stole her VISA checkcard. So she gets a huge lead (couldn't even see the second snowboarder), decides to showboat with a little trick on the second to last jump, and ends up falling on her ass. She was so far ahead at that point, she still won silver, but her little stunt cost her a gold. I probably should have put her under "The Bad" because she came up with some ridiculous excuse that she was really only trying to stabalize herself. However, unlike Bode Miller, she did seem intent on doing her best to win. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if she wasn't thinking of her sponsor, because that would have made a nice commercial moment. It was funny to see her compared to other athletes who bombed out like this, because there really isn't anyone like her. Guys like Bill Buckner weren't showboating. They just screwed up. Leon Lett was showboating, but it was late in a game in which the Cowboys were beating the crap out of Buffalo. Short of a Dallas forfeit, there was no way the Bills were going to win that game.

I think the NHL may want to rethink letting their players participate in the Olympics after the Canadian team was heavily favored, but bombed out before the medal round. I don't really care about hockey, but it really seems dumb to take a break right in the middle of the NHL season to let guys go play hockey at the Olympics. It's a bit different from basketball where the Olympics are during the summer which means no league time is lost, but there are some similarities. One reason that the U.S. basketball team failed in the last Olympics was how the team was picked. When the top American NBA players didn't want to play, they started picking people with name value to sell jerseys regardless of how well they would play as a team or how suited they were for international play (no true point guard, poor three point shooting). The other problem was that they hadn't done much practicing together. The Olympic hockey teams that had nothing but NHL players got in one practice together before they played. Gee, wonder why they lost.

From a personal point of view, the ugliest was the sniping done by speedskaters Shani Davis and Chad Hedrick. I really like speedskating, so I don't like to see it trivialized by two guys moaning and groaning. Once again, for those not paying attention, Chad Hedrick was entered in five speedskating events which means if he got gold in all of them, he would tie Eric Heiden. Shani Davis had been planning to win the 1000 meter race (which he did), and didn't want to skate in the pursuit (three guys skating single file as a team with the time stopping when the third man crosses the line) because it was two days before the 1000 meter and he was worried skating the pursuit would hurt his chances. Hedrick knew not having Davis would hurt the U.S. in the pursuit, so he let it publicly be known that he thinks Davis should take every opportunity to help win a medal for America. Contrary to the expectations of misinformed people, I take the side of paranoid, outspoken black (first to win a winter Olympic medal) Davis over the rah-rah America, good ole boy from Texas Hedrick. I've never speedskated, so I don't know how much wear it takes out of your legs, but it's alot just looking at guys who skate one event. If Davis believes that skating the pursuit would cost him a gold in the 1000 meter, I'm not going to argue. Plus, I think Hedrick was being disingenuous when he said Davis was forsaking America. More like he thinks Davis is forsaking Hedrick's quest for five golds. After all, why would he be forsaking the U.S. if he sacrifices 1000 meter gold for pursuit gold? The U.S. tally is the same. Plus, Hedrick was also in the 1000, so maybe he wasn't being so altruistic. If Davis also skates the pursuit, it could have helped Hedrick in the 1000. Besides, Hedrick has really been lacking in graciousness when he loses. A bronze isn't good enough for him. He never congratulated Davis for winning anything. He kept bringing up the pursuit. After one silver medal showing, he talked about how he has more heart than anyone else. Get a grip. I think the worst was after the 1500 meter race in which it was portrayed as a showdown between Davis and Hedrick who had both won a gold medal, but Italian Enrico Fabris beat them both for gold and leaving silver for Davis and bronze for Hedrick. Davis skated over to congratulate Fabris on his win. Hedrick found a television camera to blame his loss on skating too many endurance races while Fabris and Davis just did sprints. Guess what wasn't acceptable as an excuse for Davis is for him.