Olympics in General

[Sasquatch77]

I agree to a point that the olympics should be JUST for amateur athletes. The only problem with this concept is that NONE of the athletes competing for any country is an amateur. Every country feeds, houses, trains, and provides medical assistance for its athletes in preparation for the games. The argument to use professionals in the games was because the eastern bloc countries were using professionals. Well, technically, they were, but so was everyone else. The REAL reason the west started to use pros is the rampant steroid use behind the iron curtain. Don`t tell me that our boys in `80 that won the gold in hockey weren`t over-matched...they were. It goes to show you what sheer determination...drive...and plain old fashioned grit can do. I never thought that baseball should have been an olympic sport, nor softball. That`s what the Pan-American and Asian Games were meant for. I, personally, think that it`s gotten too big...with too many sports. Why not turn back the clock 70 years and keep it simpler?