US Athletes undergo Media Training to tone down Celebrations.

Great Debates
1

US athletes told to tone down Olympic celebrations

9:23 AM May 10
United States Olympic officials are telling athletes heading to this year’s Athens Games to avoid over-the-top celebrations** for fear of inciting anti-American feeling**.

The United States Olympic Committee says its ongoing media training to athletes includes their conduct and its greater significance in the current political climate.

The USOC says it does** not want to ban the practice of draping a Stars and Stripes flag over a winner but **athletes will have to know where to draw the line.

The American men’s 100 metres relay team was criticised for its excessive celebrations after winning gold in Sydney four years ago.

Source: ABC

Maybe our Olympic girls and boys will be permitted to lip-sync a silent prayer of thanks if they win a Gold Medal . Maybe…if their God of choice happens to be non-offensive to the sensitive feelings of Muslims extremists and non-offensive to the hard-core feelings of the rabid atheists of the nations of Socialistic Europe.

Maybe.

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That special training seems like a lot of trouble. Couldn’t they just dope em up with barbituates or something? That’d take some of the frisk out of them. :wink:

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The debate being…

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I don’t see what the big deal is - athletes are being asked not to engage in excessive celebrations. The Olympics should be a classy event and I don’t see why athletes shouldn’t be mindful of the current politcal climate.

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Did Milum use a large enough font and enough colors.
I hope I’m still on Milum’s list of honor.

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Well now gang, the “font” was inadvertent. My intent was to emphasize the lead, not the whole page.

The "bold redding " though, was intentional. I though that it might direct even the slowest amongst us to the begging question.

Apparently not, so here is the question of debate…

Why should American Athletes be forced to undergo conditioning to sublimate the great thrill of an Olympic victory because of the politics of the USOC which is stupidly trying to appease the capricious whims of an envious, American-hating, inappeasable segment of the world of today?

Ok, carefully read this other report from Reuters and think…

NEW YORK - United States Olympic officials are telling athletes heading to this year’s Athens Olympics to tone down jingoistic behaviour for fear of inciting anti-American feeling.

As part of the training and advice given to the Olympic team, officials are making it clear that over-the-top celebrations and disrespectful behaviour are inappropriate in the current political climate.

“We have always given media training to our athletes,” Darryl Seibel, spokesman for the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), told Reuters on Sunday.

"The Olympic Games make for a unique situation, the like of which many athletes will not have come across before.

“Part of the training and discussion is about appropriate conduct,” Seibel added.

“It has taken on a greater significance at this time. We realise there is potential for anti-American sentiment.”

USOC is sensitive to the backlash American athletes suffered after the men’s 4x100m relay team excessively celebrated their gold medal in Sydney four years ago.

“That was inappropriate,” Seibel said.

American Olympic chiefs do not want to ban the practice of draping a Stars and Stripes flag over a victor but athletes will have to know where to draw the line.

“It is important to strike a balance,” Seibel added.

"Athletes from every country should be proud of their country, to be able to display their colours and highlight the support they have had from their country in reaching and being successful at the Olympics.

"Proper conduct does not preclude a respectful celebration.

“But we recognise that those emotions have to be balanced.”

Bill Martin, president of USOC, told the New York Times on Sunday: "Our athletes will be making a political statement with every action they take at the Summer Games.

"This is the reality of what will be a very tense atmosphere. It’s critical to make sure the right attitude is reflected, and that’s what we’re trying to instil.

“We’re not going to be the most popular gal at the dance.” - REUTERS

See?

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So “disrespectful behavior [is] inappropriate” at the Olympics? Holy shit! Let’s boycott!

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Hey, look, Milum actually replied to something! Oh, wait, he was just replying to himself. And he is just confused as to why someone rich and successful shouldn’t walk around Compton wearing a shirt made out of hundred dollar bills, diamond rings on each finger, and shouting “I’M RICH, BIATCH!” to everyone they see.

All is normal and well in the world.

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Looking at this from an historical perspective, hasn’t some sort of “don’t be a jerk training” been standard fare for US olympic participants for quite some years? Perhaps the indoctrination’s a little more explicit this year, but I recall some lasting repercussions from that incident with the raised fist in Mexico City.

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Of course, you can thank George MF Bush for the fact that in just over 2 1/2 years America has gone from being the most loved and respected nation on earth to an almost universally despised one. Of course, many foreigners still like individual Americans; it’s just our flag and our government that they loathe. Unfortunately, our Olympic athletes will be the targets of their anger because they can’t get at the real source of the anger – Commander Bunnypants.

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I like to call it the “Ostrich Syndrome” - if you bury your head in the sand long enough, you stop realizing that there is a world around you, then stand around in confusion wondering why something is poking you in the stomach. A lot of Republicans seem to have it these days.

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Oh my, the respondants digress. They react to queries by bashing Bush.

Well, goodfolk, sleep well tonight and dream excuses for your antithetical understanding of reality and truth.

The point is this! You who are americans are not Americans if you don’t elate in your country’s wins at games.

Over two hundred years ago the people of the United States, armed with an unprecedented sense of Christian Love for his fellow men who meekly huddled about with him on this lonely bleak planet, began a God directed journey to free the all of mankind from the yoke of brutal tyranny.

And today, may God help those on this planet if we fail.

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It’s just so easy.

BTW, there was exactly one mention of Bush at all.

… if you say so…

I don’t even know where to begin to reply to that, other than beginning to think that carrying a handgun around is a good idea to protect myself from you.

Those on Mars, however, shall be helped by Buddha.

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Do you elate when in our country’s wins at the gay games?

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I really should preview. :smack:

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Milum, it sure looks like you’re saying that asking athletes to behave in a sportsmanlike manner when winning a competition is somehow un-American. Obviously, that can’t be your point. So what is it ?

It seems to me that the USOC has the right idea: The athletes are performing in front of an international rather than an American audience and they’re supposed to be good-will ambassadors. Shocking as it may seem to some, what is considered classy behaviour in a winner is not universal. So the athletes are given a few pointers on how to accomplish their mission.

Seems like a perfectly logical idea.

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Well, it’s rather a storm in a teacup but yes, I’d advocate athletes from all nations being given a quick word of advice not to childishly parade like a grim-faced peacock but, say, smile and accept the congratualtions of their fellow competitors. Flag-draped laps of honour are also perfectly allowable.

Perhaps the US Olympic Committee might ask the US government not to act like petulant Soviets, since this is what lost the US the sympathy and admiration of the entire world in the first place.

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Why do people think the Olympics are so important? Does anyone really think the behavior of our athletes, or the athletes of any nation, is going to change anyone’s opinion?

Marc

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I think the olympic committee is trying to prevent an incident such as " in 1992, when the dons of global basketball, the US Dream Team, went to the Olympics in Barcelona, the US Olympic committee begged Charles Barkley to tone down his comments after he hit an Angolan player. Among other things, Barkley said, “The guy probably hadn’t eaten in a few weeks… I’ll hit a fat guy next time… I thought he had a spear.” http://www.guardian.co.uk/weekend/story/0,3605,844450,00.html

I don’t think there is anything wrong with asking our atheletes to remember that they are representing our nation and to behave accordingly, but maybe I’m missing something.

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I think Milum’s point is that it’s an American athlete’s God-given right to celebrate an Olympic victory in whatever manner he wants, whether it’s a quiet smile of acceptance or yelling “BOOYAH! In yer face, losers!” to the other athletes.

And to a degree, I agree with him. The whole notion that American athletes should temper their jubilation in order to avoid inflaming anti-American attitudes is silly, since they’re not the source of those anti-American attitudes to begin with. This is rather like telling your neighbor to be careful storing old paint thinner in the remains of his garage after his house has already burned down…