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Post-National Olympics

In today's Wall Street Journal, the editors note (subscription required) that we care more about individual athletes than the US team:

Today, without a common political foe to concentrate our patriotism, personalities have come to dominate broadcasts. This is an explanation, not a complaint; no one's hankering for those Cold War tensions of yore.

I think this direction should be encouraged. Rather than the Greek and modern version of national teams competing in sports instead of war, it should transcend nationalities. "Like the NBA," an Olympic basketball team should have athletes from many countries. Relays and other team sports should be composed of Star-Trek style international members.

A good way to bleed the power out of nationalism is to attack its very definition as mobile citizenship and superstates like the EU have done.

Posted by Sam Dinkin at February 18, 2006 05:07 AM

Comments

All fine and well... except that America isn't the only nation in the Olympics. I don't know about the Winter Games, but watching the Summer Games in China was interesting. Perhaps personalities dominate coverage in the US, but here, it's all about how China's participants are doing - not that there's anything wrong with that. I got to see a number of events that I was previously unaware of; in America, it's all gymnastics, basketball, and track. No coverage of table tennis or badminton.

I suspect the lack of Chinese competitors in the Olympics means a lot less coverage here... but I can't tell 'cause I don't have good TV access.

Posted by Doc at February 18, 2006 06:41 AM

I don't buy his "personality" idea. Personality is not new in sports, it's part of the draw. Who while growing up didn't want to be the "star" of the team? Nobody wants to have the lowest batting average in the league. Nobody wants to be the guy cut from the team, we all want to be the "personality".

Name any team, any sport, any decade, any where that doesn't have "personalities".

The Black Sox had Shoeless Joe Jackson, Illinois and then later Da Bears had Red Grange, the Montreal Canadiens had Maurice Richard, the Santos FC of Sao Paulo do Brazil had Edson Arantes do Nascimento more popularly know as Pele'.

Our Olympic teams are the same Dick Button, Scott Hamilton both Olympic skaters. Mike Eruzione on the 1980 Olympic Hockey Team. I know some people, my brother is one of them, who can name the whole team. (do not play Trivial Pursuit with this man) But how many people can, off the top of their heads, name many or any of the Olympic teamates?

You could quite literally do this all day long, I left out so many people and sports its not worth mentioning. The teams named all had great players. To play both college or professional sports you have to accel in the sport. Certainly the Olympics is this multiplied. But at even this level there are still standout players.

Look at our Olympic Dream Team in basketball. How many NBA players DID NOT MAKE the team? But that team had Michael Jordan and ????? Again some of us remember the trainers assistants. But the majority do not and the media can't report all of them.

All of the media outlets have a finite number of pages or number of minutes to cover any given event. You can't cover all the people or teams, so they cover the top 3, 6 or 10 events or players.

The Olympics may be a set up as a team environment, but we live in a cult of personality. And it's worldwide.

There is no " I " on team but we all spell it that way in our head. And we impress it on our heroes.

Posted by Steve at February 18, 2006 10:54 AM

Sam,

Are you perhaps proposing Games without Frontiers?

What is next? War without Tears?

Posted by Mike Puckett at February 18, 2006 11:33 AM

I think Rocky Persaud is the guy for Games without Frontiers. Or at least without gravity. Once Enrico's done playing with the bonfire, I hope he'll figure out how to run a space ship with it.

Posted by Sam Dinkin at February 18, 2006 12:23 PM

Ah... the demise the nationalism. I suspect it's a fad.

Posted by Jim Rohrich at February 18, 2006 01:20 PM

Adolf builds a bonfire, Enrico plays with it.

Posted by Sam Dinkin at February 18, 2006 07:19 PM

Sorry... make that "the demise OF nationalism"...

Posted by Jim Rohrich at February 18, 2006 10:07 PM

"in America, it's all gymnastics, basketball, and track. No coverage of table tennis or badminton."

in america, golf has its own channel.

Posted by ujedujik at February 19, 2006 03:54 PM

Sam,in this idealized "world state" will we have to submit to rule by the United Nations or do you think we should be ruled by the transnational NGO's like Amnesty International?

Posted by commenter at February 19, 2006 05:16 PM

I nominate Koffi Annan for World President!

Posted by Commenter at February 19, 2006 05:18 PM

Furthermore, should we sign the Moon treaty just because the transnational elites want us to? Furthermore, what would prevent this from becoming law in the transnational world-state your dreaming of?

Posted by commenter at February 19, 2006 05:35 PM

"They all have hills to fly them on except for Lin Tai Yu"

It ain't all happiness for everyone in your proposed world!

Posted by Mike Puckett at February 19, 2006 06:48 PM


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