Men and Women 4X100 relay???

[widgeon13]

Why can't these people pass a baton from one hand to another, this is ridiculous. The best athletes in the world drop the stick, guess they aren't the best after all.

Spend a little less time showboating and more time being humble. I can't believe both the men and women screwed up DQ

[URY914]

I wish the interviewer on the track would have just asked, "So tell the views; your families, your friends, and the entire USA which was watching you, why in the hell you dropped the baton?

[strupgolf]

Yea, lets all showboat that "we are the best", and then do that. That's a shame.

[vash]

just so we are clear, the men dropped the stick too.

the interviewers are idiots.

[BGCarrera32]

Pretty sad you get to the Olympic Games and do that...

[Les Paul]

First off I would tell Bob Newmeir or whatever his name is to suck my shriveled appendage. He is a total clueless assclown. That said the lack of getting a baton around in the first round is inexcusable. 7th graders can do it and they can't?

[widgeon13]

Don't they practice this exchange?

You might not like beach volleyball but at least the guys and girls got the job done.

I'm so disgusted w/ the freaking US track team. When you go there assuming that the gold belongs to USA this is what happens.

We got exactly what we deserved. Maybe Al Sharpton will have an explanation for this.

[URY914]

It's Bush's fault.

[Halm]

Originally Posted by Les Paul

First off I would tell Bob Newmeir or whatever his name is to suck my shriveled appendage. He is a total clueless assclown. That said the lack of getting a baton around in the first round is inexcusable. 7th graders can do it and they can't?

+1. Horrible announcers. Even worse coaching.

[svandamme]

well, with some luck, us Belgians will finally get to bag at least one event

[widgeon13]

How come Jamaica can be so good at track events? Is it perhaps because they want it more than the rest.

Good luck to the Belgians!

[svandamme]

coool runnin's man

[Tim Hancock]

Can't stand how cocky the track athletes are in general..... I have not witnessed this attitude by other athletes in other olympic events this year (other than the French relay swimmers).

You would think that the US track coaches would tell their athletes to be a bit more reserved when representing their country at an international event.

Cant say I have any pity for them.

[Halm]

Originally Posted by Tim Hancock

Can't stand how cocky the track athletes are in general..... I have not witnessed this attitude by other athletes in other olympic events this year (other than the French relay swimmers).

You would think that the US track coaches would tell their athletes to be a bit more reserved when representing their country at an international event.

Cant say I have any pity for them.

I am not sure what is going on there either. Having competed at the International –but not Olympic- level, I can tell you it is a different world, probably similar to the isolated environment of professional football, baseball and basketball players.

Track and Field in the US has been on the decline for decades. In the late ‘60’s and early ‘70’s there was a major Track meet on TV every weekend. It was cool to run. Frank Shorter really made it popular when he won the Olympic Marathon in 1972. But it soon was dropped by TV, probably because they could get more $$$ from other sports. Then along came the “soccer mom” generations where they forced their kids into a particular sport not because they were good at it, but practices were a social event for “mom” and it was a way to control where the kids went in the afternoon.

About the same time we had Title IX. This, of course, stopped the flow of $$$ to non-revenue college sports at many schools further decreasing the opportunity / pool to develop elite runners, swimmers and wrestlers.

And of course we have the whole Balco fiasco. The sport has been turned upside down. And somehow I doubt we ever really know the depth and breadth of doping in the US much less the world.

So, the cream has been skimmed for many years by many event and we are left with these athletes representing you and me at the Beijing Olympics. But to be clear, most athletes there are good guys and gals. But there are enough idiots too that make your point.

[Les Paul]

When title 9 came along didn't track go from something like 30 scholarships to 12? I know that is what happened at The University of Texas. Kind of hard to slice a pie into 12 when it takes a bunch more to make a balanced team.

[Halm]

I am pretty sure there was a scholarship change, but candidly I don't remember the specifics. I "think" it is more school to school than NCAA regulated. I am trying to say that not many schools have the max allowed scholarships because of funding, not limits. I am pretty sure, for example, that Harry Groves up at Penn State had more than 12 the last few years.

[Les Paul]

I was in school from 72-76. They were creating girls teams just to give the scholarships away from the ones they had taken from mens sports. They went from club teams to full rides overnight in volleyball, softball etc.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

You think they'd learn by now to hold off on the schit-talking until after you had the win secured, if not permanently.

How these big-mouth idiots continually draw sponsorship money is beyond me. Does that kind of "'tude" really sell products? For me it's a huge turn-off.

[Halm]

Originally Posted by Les Paul

I was in school from 72-76. They were creating girls teams just to give the scholarships away from the ones they had taken from mens sports. They went from club teams to full rides overnight in volleyball, softball etc.

Agreed. Dead solid perfect. Another wonderful example of “unintended consequences” of good intentions.

[URY914]

So are you saying women's sports should not be equal to mens?