Should Professional Athletes be allowed to enter the Olympic games?

It's always seemed a little weird to me, and somewhat unfair for the USA's Basketball team to be composed of the most dominant players on earth.

They still dwarve any of the teams in the world by a huge margin. They even seem to play down to make it seem like the other teams have some sort of chance of ever winning.

I think that if Team USA ever loses that it's most likely fixed. Should Professional Athletes be allowed to compete in these games?

What are your thoughts on this?

Yeah they should. The best should come and compete.

Apart from maybe cycling and boxing, I don't really know of any 'professional' athletes would be better than those already on show. Are there sprinters out there who are faster than Bolt? Any better swimmers than Phelps? Surely the world's best athletes are already at the games.

Originally posted by Ya Krunk'd Floo
Apart from maybe cycling and boxing, I don't really know of any 'professional' athletes would be better than those already on show. Are there sprinters out there who are faster than Bolt? Any better swimmers than Phelps? Surely the world's best athletes are already at the games.

Aren't they professional though?

And even if they aren't, the point would still be that everyone should have the chance to compete.

Phelps IS a professional. I think Captainstoic's argument is about hwther such professionals should be allowed, in the spirit of the original Olympics. Talented amateurs are effectively banned from most events now (specifically after Eddie the Eagle).

Originally posted by Ushgarak
Phelps IS a professional. I think Captainstoic's argument is about hwther such professionals should be allowed, in the spirit of the original Olympics. Talented amateurs are effectively banned from most events now (specifically after Eddie the Eagle).

After Eddie the Eagle, the IOC instituted a rule that holds for most events, I believe, where you have to be taking part in international competitions for your event and place in the upper echelons of those event. As most of these international competitions are professional, that effectively shut out amateurs.

There are some exceptions for some events, I think, and also some smaller countries are allowed to send athletes regardless (hence that swimmer nicknaked 'The Eel' last time, or the time before, or whenever it was, who did ther slowest swimm race ever and was loved for it), but on the whole it is a closed door for amateurs.

Originally posted by Ushgarak
After Eddie the Eagle, the IOC instituted a rule that holds for most events, I believe, where you have to be taking part in international competitions for your event and place in the upper echelons of those event. As most of these international competitions are professional, that effectively shut out amateurs.

There are some exceptions for some events, I think, and also some smaller countries are allowed to send athletes regardless (hence that swimmer nicknaked 'The Eel' last time, or the time before, or whenever it was, who did ther slowest swimm race ever and was loved for it), but on the whole it is a closed door for amateurs.

Well, that is problematic then. I just don't think that banning professionals would be fair in the spirit of the Greek Olympics. I don't really know about the technical aspect, but what I think should be tried to achieve is giving the best athletes, whether amateur or professional, the chance to compete in the Olympics.

Well, to be fair, there are no amateurs that are anywhere near as good as pros these days, and I think the original ideas of the Greek Olympics petered out a while back...

Originally posted by Ushgarak
Well, to be fair, there are no amateurs that are anywhere near as good as pros these days, and I think the original ideas of the Greek Olympics petered out a while back...

Well, as I remember, I believe the Athletes in the Greek Olympics were by all means professionals of their time. And I assume that mostly the Professionals are much better, but there should still be a mechanism that gives everyone a chance, I mean it's hard to know whether there might be amateurs that could kick serious ass at the Olympics, even if it seems a bit unlikely.

I don't think it is practical for the IOC themselves to hold pre-Olympics trials, so the only way to discern whether a competitor was good enough to enter before was with national trials- but that's how Eddie got in, he simply had no competitors in the UK.

And, despite being awesome, Eddie was also rubbish and this rather embarrassed things; they were worried the games would start to be flooded with useless people and make a farce of it all.

So the only quality control they have to work with were other international competititons.

I always wondered why we didn't see a US olympic baseball team made up of actual Major League players..its all minor league guys.

Imagine the domination that would be. Same with Boxing, guys like Flloyd Mayweather and Klitchko would win the gold easily.

Originally posted by KidRock
I always wondered why we didn't see a US olympic baseball team made up of actual Major League players..its all minor league guys.

Imagine the domination that would be. Same with Boxing, guys like Flloyd Mayweather and Klitchko would win the gold easily.

This is exactly what I'm talking about, no major league baseball players are there, but the best of the best NBA players are. I would think that the college men and women should be in the Olympics not guys that nearly mirror Micheal Jordan. It's become a circus event to say the least, everyone betting would cast their vote on team USA, as if it were a no brainer.

Originally posted by Ushgarak
and I think the original ideas of the Greek Olympics petered out a while back...

So what if the U.S does have a dominant team that means they other countries need to step it up

Originally posted by gryphon28
So what if the U.S does have a dominant team that means they other countries need to step it up

Exactly. The Redeem Team accomplished their mission: gold.

I say anyone should be able try out for the Olympic men's basketball team. Pro or not. Anyone who's able to qualify to play, should.

It's always been known that there are better ball players, that'd out preform even good NBA players, that compete at college level or in street hoops, that exist that won't ever make it pro mostly due to it being a numbers game.

They should change those rules.

Most Olympic athletes are professionals. Everyone sends in the best. A lot of the time the best are professionals.

Originally posted by Symmetric Chaos
Most Olympic athletes are professionals. Everyone sends in the best. A lot of the time the best are professionals.

You seem to have missed the point.

Olympic Games were not designed for professionals, but amatures. It has grown to be professionals now, but it wasn't always so, nor was it intended originally to be so.

Originally posted by FistOfThe North
I say anyone should be able try out for the Olympic men's basketball team. Pro or not. Anyone who's able to qualify to play, should.

It's always been known that there are better ball players, that'd out preform even good NBA players, that compete at college level or in street hoops, that exist that won't ever make it pro mostly due to it being a numbers game.

They should change those rules.

ding, ding, ding!!!! This is exactly how the Olympics should be run, but I guess that it would be impossible for regular old Joe Schmoe to be on the same team as an individual considered to be an elite in todays society.

If anyone took the time to think about it, they would see the bullshyt for what it is. I work with a guy that makes Iverson look a snail, he will never get the opportunity though, because of how the Olympics are set up.