# Congratulations America, you "won" the Olympics. Now where are you in the Paralympics? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 7, 2012, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congratulations-america-you-won-the-olympics-now-where-are-you-in-the-paralympics/633967 "2012-09-07T09:57:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congratulations-america-you-won-the-olympics-now-where-are-you-in-the-paralympics/633967/21 "2012-09-10T12:22:30Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > In the UK, they are as popular as the Olympics. The main British paralympians are household names. [Tanni Grey-Thomson](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanni_Grey-Thompson) (former wheelchair racer) has even been made a Baroness and holds a seat in the House of Lords. Do you have any idea why the Paralympics are just as popular as the Olympics in the UK? ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congratulations-america-you-won-the-olympics-now-where-are-you-in-the-paralympics/633967/22 "2012-09-10T12:54:35Z")
> [@2sense](#): > > Do people in other countries, unlike Americans, give a damn about these Paraolympics or whatever they are called? > [@SanVito](#): > > Countries do well in sports that the general public is interested in. Public interest = money (from gate receipts, sponsorship, TV rights and government funding). Money = better training, more people wanting to get into the sport, more opportunities for athletes to train full time, better equipment and on and on. > > I have read that TV coverage of the paras in the USA has been pretty much non existant. Contrast that with the UK, which has had wall to wall coverage, equal to that of the Olympics themselves. And not just this year, either. There has been strong interest in the UK for years. So the athletes get more funding, do better than most other countries, benefit from the ‘lack’ of interest from countries like the US, and shoot up the medals table. > > It’s not rocket science. And it isn’t a reflection of medical systems so much as sporting systems. Right. One might as well ask why the Americans are not contenders for the men’s football (soccer, FIFA) World Cup or why they aren’t in the medal round of the “regular” Olympic badminton. The US competitive-sport world, on the athlete-development side, is overwhelmingly a private concern where “gate receipts, sponsorship, TV rights” are the dominant sources of funding and thus the attention is given to the events that raise those. Yes, that does create a circular phenomenon where people who have never heard of paralympians do not follow or support paralympians who therefore always train on a shoestring and compete in obscurity so nobody knows to support them…etc. Hard to break from unless in the next TV rights contract IOC includes a requirement that the winning bidder must commit at least X% as much air time and resources to the Paralympics as to the regular Games. FWIW even with a lot of the “regular” Olympic events the average member of the US public is hardly even conscious of what’s up in that sport until the actual Games or a World Championship are on, and then only to cheer Team USA in the events the network hypes up. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congratulations-america-you-won-the-olympics-now-where-are-you-in-the-paralympics/633967/23 "2012-09-10T13:28:45Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > Right. One might as well ask why the Americans are not contenders for the men’s football (soccer, FIFA) World Cup or why they aren’t in the medal round of the “regular” Olympic badminton. The US competitive-sport world, on the athlete-development side, is overwhelmingly a private concern where “gate receipts, sponsorship, TV rights” are the dominant sources of funding and thus the attention is given to the events that raise those. One factor which has improved the success rate of British Olympic and Paralympic sports is ‘[Lottery funding](http://www.lotteryfunding.org.uk/uk/uk-sport)’. We have a national lottery, the profits from which are distributed to good causes - charities, for eg - but significantly underfunded sports. Which means we’re getting success in sports we had previously hardly heard of. ---
**Author:** ![Aro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b3f665/32.png) [@Aro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aro)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congratulations-america-you-won-the-olympics-now-where-are-you-in-the-paralympics/633967/24 "2012-09-10T14:00:19Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > Do you have any idea why the Paralympics are just as popular as the Olympics in the UK? I actually can’t decide if this an honest question, a set-up to a trick question, or some snide sidewards swipe to the paralympics themselves - could you please clarify? If it’s the latter (which I hope & will assume for the basis of this answer), then they are popular for the same reasons any other international level competitive sports competition is popular - it’s the best in the world in their particular category competing against each other at the very highest level – it’s a fabulous competition and makes compelling viewing. Just as the Olympics was before it. In parallel to this, many of the competitors have overcome a massive and life-changing accident or disease that has led to their specific disability. Their individual stories of how this adversity was faced and ultimately overcome to bring them to the point of achieving the pinnacle of their chosen sport also adds a poignancy to the overall competitiveness, bringing a greater depth of public interest and also a groundswell of communal pride in the competitors representing our country. The following and support for all the athletes has been simply incredible. It’s a real shame to me that certain countries deemed the Olympics finished several weeks agao, when it really only ended, in spectacular fashion, last night. ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congratulations-america-you-won-the-olympics-now-where-are-you-in-the-paralympics/633967/25 "2012-09-10T14:13:02Z")
Couldn’t put the rebuttal any better than **Aro** +1 ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congratulations-america-you-won-the-olympics-now-where-are-you-in-the-paralympics/633967/26 "2012-09-10T14:55:38Z")
> [@penultima\_thule](#): > > Couldn’t put the rebuttal any better than **Aro** > > +1 +2 ---
**Author:** ![Aro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b3f665/32.png) [@Aro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aro)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congratulations-america-you-won-the-olympics-now-where-are-you-in-the-paralympics/633967/27 "2012-09-10T15:14:03Z")
Thanks guys. Without wishing to hijack the intent of the thread away from the initial premise of the OP, I would like to draw attention to a recent 90 min. documentary called [‘The Best of Men’](http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01m1jqd) about Stoke Mandeville hospital and the birth of the Paralympic movement, for those that have access to it. It’s available on BBC iPlayer at the moment, and way well be available on Youtube or other places, I’m not sure. But if you get a chance to watch it, please do so, it may well change your outlook on the value of the games. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congratulations-america-you-won-the-olympics-now-where-are-you-in-the-paralympics/633967/28 "2012-09-10T16:54:30Z")
> [@Aro](#): > > I actually can’t decide if this an honest question, a set-up to a trick question, or some snide sidewards swipe to the paralympics themselves - could you please clarify? It was a simple one sentence question so I do not know how much clearer I could have made it. Let’s just assume I wasn’t trying to be an asshole and was just asking an honest question. Thanks for the answer though. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congratulations-america-you-won-the-olympics-now-where-are-you-in-the-paralympics/633967/29 "2012-09-10T16:58:12Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > In the UK, they are as popular as the Olympics. The main British paralympians are household names. [Tanni Grey-Thomson](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanni_Grey-Thompson) (former wheelchair racer) has even been made a Baroness and holds a seat in the House of Lords. Is that true just this year, when they are in London, or every Olympic year? It’s only been since 1988 that they’ve immediately followed the main Olympic games. ---
**Author:** ![Pitchmeister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pitchmeister/32/3459_2.png) [@Pitchmeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pitchmeister)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congratulations-america-you-won-the-olympics-now-where-are-you-in-the-paralympics/633967/30 "2012-09-10T17:57:33Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > And in 2008, when the USA came in ahead of Australia in the Paralympics, did that mean we had better health care then, but since 2008 it has gone downhill? > > Since 2008, and Barack Obama’s election, the health care system has spiraled downwards, out of control, putting millions of our country’s most vulnerable citizens at risk? Is that what your’re saying? > > Or… maybe there’s some other explanation for national Paralympics rankings? Are you seriously comparing the US to Australia, a country with about 10% of the population? I don’t know if the OP is right or not, but if Australia is outperforming (or even competing with) the US in the number of medals, something has to be up… ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congratulations-america-you-won-the-olympics-now-where-are-you-in-the-paralympics/633967/31 "2012-09-10T19:34:15Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > Is that true just this year, when they are in London, or every Olympic year? > > It’s only been since 1988 that they’ve immediately followed the main Olympic games. Exactly right. As an Englishman I can assure you that the average Brit in the past was barely aware of the Paralympics. It’s only the facts that this Olympiad the Paralympics and Olympics have both been staged here and the one has directly followed the other that has ensured wider coverage and greater publicity (thus more funding) in the years leading up to the events. It’s a bit rich to start puffing out our chests and trumpeting our virtues in relation to those awful Americans on such a basis as this. The OP’s argument hasn’t a leg to stand on. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congratulations-america-you-won-the-olympics-now-where-are-you-in-the-paralympics/633967/32 "2012-09-10T19:53:21Z")
> [@Pitchmeister](#): > > Are you seriously comparing the US to Australia, a country with about 10% of the population? I don’t know if the OP is right or not, but if Australia is outperforming (or even competing with) the US in the number of medals, something has to be up… Yes, that something is that the US does not care enough about the paralympics to pour enough money into competing. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congratulations-america-you-won-the-olympics-now-where-are-you-in-the-paralympics/633967/33 "2012-09-10T21:34:20Z")
I, too, wondered about the difference in the medals tables. Thing is, quite a few Paralympians are ex-service people with disabilites, which is possibly why some war-torn countries have been doing very well (ex-service people are more likely to have discrete disabilities and are more likely to have been young and fit when injured than the average disabled person); the US has a lot of ex-service people with disabilities. It should be doing very well, on a par with its olympic achievements. As to people in the US simply not being interested in the Olympics… well, that’s hardly a praiseworthy excuse, and also not very plausible, unless you think the Paralympics are huge in, say, Tunisia, which came below the US in the tables but has a much smaller country size. > [@aldiboronti](#): > > Exactly right. As an Englishman I can assure you that the average Brit in the past was barely aware of the Paralympics. It’s only the facts that this Olympiad the Paralympics and Olympics have both been staged here and the one has directly followed the other that has ensured wider coverage and greater publicity (thus more funding) in the years leading up to the events. It’s a bit rich to start puffing out our chests and trumpeting our virtues in relation to those awful Americans on such a basis as this. > > The OP’s argument hasn’t a leg to stand on. Nah, the Paralympics has been a lot bigger in the UK this year for obvious reasons, but it’s been big for the last few years too. SanVito mentioned Tanni Grey-Thompson being made a Dame - that didn’t happen yesterday. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congratulations-america-you-won-the-olympics-now-where-are-you-in-the-paralympics/633967/34 "2012-09-10T21:42:14Z")
> [@Pitchmeister](#): > > Are you seriously comparing the US to Australia, a country with about 10% of the population? The OP mentioned Australia: > [@Bozuit](#): > > The USA is currently sixth, with Ukraine and Australia also ahead of them. And so did **Broomstick** : > [@Broomstick](#): > > I can’t help but wonder if the US medical “system” which gives least to those who need it most is a factor here. […] > Of course, the US is not _unique_ that regard, there are other nations that practice “devil take the hindmost” in regards to their citizenry, but, say,that wouldn’t apply to Australia which might be a factor in why Australia is ahead of the US in the paralymics. Which is why **Bricker** asked this: > [@Bricker](#): > > And in 2008, when the USA came in ahead of Australia in the Paralympics, did that mean we had better health care then, but since 2008 it has gone downhill? > […] > Or… maybe there’s some other explanation for national Paralympics rankings? ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congratulations-america-you-won-the-olympics-now-where-are-you-in-the-paralympics/633967/35 "2012-09-10T21:52:41Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > As to people in the US simply not being interested in the Olympics… well, that’s hardly a praiseworthy excuse, and also not very plausible, unless you think the Paralympics are huge in, say, Tunisia, which came below the US in the tables but has a much smaller country size. Praiseworthy is an interesting choice of words. Did anyone praise Americans for not having much interest in the Paralympics? There seems to be some sort of assumption that the United States is somehow at fault because they win fewer medals at the Paralympics. If you or the OP believes that U.S. standings at the Paralympics points to some flaw in the American character then just spit it out rather than beating around the bush. Once we figure it out maybe we can work on figuring out why Americans don’t like soccer. ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congratulations-america-you-won-the-olympics-now-where-are-you-in-the-paralympics/633967/36 "2012-09-10T21:57:21Z")
Population size maybe ? ---
**Author:** ![Pitchmeister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pitchmeister/32/3459_2.png) [@Pitchmeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pitchmeister)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congratulations-america-you-won-the-olympics-now-where-are-you-in-the-paralympics/633967/37 "2012-09-10T22:02:30Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > The OP mentioned Australia: > > And so did **Broomstick** : > > Which is why **Bricker** asked this: Alright, fair enough. Still, the fact that Australia, a very similar country but with 10% of the population, is competing with the US for numbers of medals does bring up questions. This is not about a single sport (of course Australia would kick the USA’s ass in Rugby) but about pretty much all athletics performed by people with a certain type of disability. Like I said, I’m not 100% sure the OP has it nailed, but there has to be a reason why Paralympic sports do not enjoy the same stand in the US that they do in other comparable countries. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congratulations-america-you-won-the-olympics-now-where-are-you-in-the-paralympics/633967/38 "2012-09-10T22:48:42Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > Nah, the Paralympics has been a lot bigger in the UK this year for obvious reasons, but it’s been big for the last few years too. SanVito mentioned Tanni Grey-Thompson being made a Dame - that didn’t happen yesterday. [Ade Adepitan](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ade_Adepitan) has also had a reasonably high public profile, although I doubt most people could have told you his name apart from “that wheelchair basketball guy”. He competed in 2004 in Athens. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congratulations-america-you-won-the-olympics-now-where-are-you-in-the-paralympics/633967/39 "2012-09-10T23:06:56Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > Praiseworthy is an interesting choice of words. Did anyone praise Americans for not having much interest in the Paralympics? There seems to be some sort of assumption that the United States is somehow at fault because they win fewer medals at the Paralympics. If you or the OP believes that U.S. standings at the Paralympics points to some flaw in the American character then just spit it out rather than beating around the bush. > > Once we figure it out maybe we can work on figuring out why Americans don’t like soccer. No need to be defensive - I’m not picking fault with the American ‘character.’ But yes, if a country does far better at the Olympics than at the Paralympics then there has to be some reason behind it. It doesn’t happen randomly. I don’t see ‘Americans are less interested than other countries in seeing disabled atheletes compete’ as being an excuse that should be just brushed aside, but I also don’t see it as the reason for the difference, or at least not all the reason. If it were true, it would mean that Brits, Russians etc were more positive about people with disabilities, and I’m not sure I’d believe that; also, that actually would be a comment about the American ‘character.’ Maybe it is something to do with the lack of a good welfare system for people with disabilities (compared to Western Europe, at least)? But then, does Russia have much of that? I doubt it somehow. There must be something more to it than that. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congratulations-america-you-won-the-olympics-now-where-are-you-in-the-paralympics/633967/40 "2012-09-11T00:47:15Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > No need to be defensive - I’m not picking fault with the American ‘character.’ But yes, if a country does far better at the Olympics than at the Paralympics then there has to be some reason behind it. It doesn’t happen randomly. I’m not sure that random chance doesn’t play a pretty big role, at least when comparing the results of smaller countries. A small country can happen to have one very talented athlete that can sway the results. It’s certainly happened at the main Olympic games. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congratulations-america-you-won-the-olympics-now-where-are-you-in-the-paralympics/633967.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congratulations-america-you-won-the-olympics-now-where-are-you-in-the-paralympics/633967.md?page=3)