A little less talk and a lot more action

Back before even I was born, in the early 1970s, the International Olympic Committee got a new chairperson. One of the first things he did was get the ban on professional athletes in the Olympics dropped. The IOC decided to leave it up to the international federations for each sport to decide whether or not professional athletes in their sport would be allowed to participate. Almost immediately, professional athletes started competing in various events.

In 1989, the International Federation of Basketball took a vote of its members to decide if they would allow professional players to participate in the Olympics. It was passed overwhelmingly (something like 53-15 in favor), and pros were slated to play in the next Olympics.

Interestingly enough, the U.S. voted against opening the games up to professional athletes, even though it is obvious they would benefit immensely. An Associated Press poll around the same time found that only 58% of N.B.A. players said they wanted to or would be willing to play in the Olympics. The U.S. representatives in the IFB feared that allowing professionals to play would take away Olympic places from the college and high school amateurs they had been sending previously.

Well, duh.

As of 2008, the only sports that don't allow professionals are boxing and baseball. Boxing wants to use amateur rules because of safety reasons for athletes. Amateur rules emphasize the technical aspects, rather than power and strength. Also, boxers stand to earn far more money from Pay-Per-View bouts, so there's little incentive. Baseball doesn't allow pros to participate because the Olympics overlap with the All-Star games. What team is going to release their highly paid athletes to go chance an injury? (Though it is a moot point now, because the IOC voted to drop baseball and softball from the Olympic Games last week. Starting in 2012, they will no longer be a part of the Olympics. They may come back in the future, but for now, they're gone.) Even swimmers get money. If Michael Phelps wins his eight gold medals, he stands to earn a $1 million bonus from his sponsors. That's right, folks, a million bucks.

But I digress.

When the IFB opened the Olympics to professional basketball players, the U.S. assembled what quickly became known as "The Dream Team." It consisted of players like Michael Jordan , Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Charles Barkley to name a few. It was every coach and fan's dream to have a team comprised of players of that caliber. It sort of goes without saying that The Dream Team dominated the competition, easily bringing home the gold.

In fact, according to www.nba.com/history, "Opponents didn't have a chance, but they didn't care. One player, while trying to guard Magic Johnson, was seen frantically waving to a camera-wielding teammate on the bench, signaling to make sure he got a picture of them together."

It's safe to say that The Dream Team changed basketball in the Olympics. For the better, in my opinion. They inspired people around the world to like basketball and to work harder. They changed the way the game was played. Competition has progressively gotten better. Also according to www.nba.com/history, The Dream Team's coach, Chuck Daly, said "Finally there will come a day -- I'm not saying it will happen anytime soon, mind you, but it's inevitable that it will happen -- that they will be able to compete with us on even terms. And they'll look back on the Dream Team as a landmark event in that process."

I don't know what Chuck Daly considers "anytime soon," but a mere four Olympics later, the Dream Team's legacy was shattered. In 2004 in Athens, American players came to the games cocky, rude, and selfish. They played like they didn't care, and they didn't want to be there. It showed. Their nightmare performance earned them the bronze. For the first time since 1992, America didn't win the gold medal in basketball. As a fan who loves the Olympics, I was embarrassed by their performance.

Now, don't get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with a bronze medal in my eyes. If the competition were fierce, and they had truly been outplayed, a bronze would have been an honor. I don't think they were outplayed, though. I think they were sloppy and selfish ball players who were in it for themselves. There was no teamwork, no team spirit, and no American pride. Just showoffs and showboating. I was embarrassed by them and for them.

This year, in Beijing, the U.S. Olympic Men's Basketball team is now called "The Redeem Team." They got this name because they are trying to redeem their record. They are aiming for the gold again. They are confident they can climb back to the top. Once again, there are incredible talents on this team. If they can actually work together, and mesh their talents, they will be difficult to beat. With players like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Jason Kidd, they may even be impossible to beat.

I don't think they need to redeem their record, though. I think they need to redeem their reputation. Coach K, Mike Krzyzewski, and his players have their work cut out for them. Granted, there are only a handful of players returning from Athens, but regardless, that last team tarnished the U.S.'s reputation in basketball, and the new players will have to work hard to fix it. Dwayne Wade, one of the returning players has said that America is not cocky, just confident. "If you don't feel like you're going to win, you've lost already,'' he said. "People think the U.S. is cocky, but we're just confident we're going to win.''

Olympic gold is earned by hustle, hard work, teamwork (LOTS of teamwork), and a bit of national pride. A little less talk and a lot more action will prove if they truly are the Redeem Team they are billed to be.

So far, they've played China and Angola. They've won both games. It appears that they have better attitudes, and they are in Beijing to play basketball. Let's hope it continues tonight and beyond.

Win first, then talk.