On 2/21/2014 12:36 PM, F*O*A*D wrote:
On 2/21/14, 12:30 PM, wrote:
On Fri, 21 Feb 2014 10:52:27 -0500, F*O*A*D wrote:
Isn't the U.S. Hockey
Team comprised of professional, highly paid National Hockey League
players?
Yes, the tennis team is all pros as was the basketball team.
In all fairness, it was done because the Soviet block athletes were
paid, and still are.
The biggest payday is in Kazakstan where a medal is worth $250k.
Russia is close behind at $113k. They are pros who get paid to train
and compete.
Yeah, well, I watched a bit of Olympics when the athletes were amateurs.
I did a term paper on the history of the Olympics back in high school.
I remember it was very interesting as I researched the info.
The ancient games in Greece were more of a religious event, honoring
Olympic gods, particularly Zeus. They consisted of three basic
physical events ... running, throwing and jumping. They started in
776 BC and continued for many centuries until they were outlawed in
about 400 AD as being a "pagan ceremony". The modern Olympic games
started in 1896.
The ancient games were intended to promote peace and harmony among the
various Greek towns and regions from which the athletes came.