Five-Ring Circus

Dara Torres

bekkah2008 — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 19:37:48 GMT

I was a swimmer for four years my teens. I believe that there is no way that she isn't doping. Swimming is a very tough sport on the body. People always say it's easier on the body but no. I have hurt my neck while doing a flip turn and I had a week to recover before my meet. My times sucked. Also I injured my right shoulder in my second year. That just totally healed by my fourth year of swimming. Dara needs to fess up and let the real olympians go to the olympics because her time is over. Times don't improve as you get older once you reach a certain age and for most people it's in the mid 20's and that's why so many swimmers retire around 28 or 30.

Re: Figure skating, the world's least-graceful sport

thallie — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 02:12:21 GMT

As a figure skater, I am thoroughly offended by this article.

When a football player fumbles the ball but the team still manages to win the superbowl, does anyone pay attention to that fumble?

When a pro-baseball player swings and misses, but then hits a home run, does anyone remember the fact that he missed that first swing?

There are a million examples in the sports world where people screw up. As for figure skating, competition conditions are often nearly the opposite of what a skater is used to. Competition rinks are smoothed every few skaters, whereas most skaters are accustomed to being on somewhat rough ice. The ice at a competition rink also tends to be considerably harder than your typical practice rink ice. To put it plainly, the ice is considerably more difficult to work on. There is less friction, and it is harder to pick-in properly for a good jump. This is not accounting for fatigue (at a competition, you are lucky to get four or five hours of sleep before you hit the ice, between travel and practice ice), nerves, and the fact that you are skating in a strange place being watched by thousands of people.

There is also an extraordinary amount of athleticism and discipline in skating that most don't consider. I was never a "hardcore" skater, and still spent at least eight hours a week at the rink, and at least an additional six at the gym, and another six doing off-ice training with my coach.

My most intensive skating was done while I was in high school, and I didn't hit the rink until an hour after I got off school, so I would run laps with whatever sports team was using the track at the time. Daily, I would outrun, both in speed and endurance, the entire football team, as well as about half the cross-country team.

To say that figure skating is an "easy" sport would be the pinnacle of idiocy. Building up enough muscle mass to even do a single axel takes at least a year, often more, of dedication and training. And, as most skaters are pushing their limits in an attempt for extra points at competitions, it's not at all outrageous to EXPECT falls. Let's see you get out there, hurl yourself into the air using one foot, spin around three or four times in a specific way, and then land neatly on a blade about 1/8" thick, all the while going about 25mph. Moving a fraction of an inch can cause a fall.

In figure skating, even falling is an art form. You have to consider that, even though a fall may look clumsy, every motion is carefully controlled by the skater. After all, when you have two large, very sharp blades strapped to your feet, falling can be very dangerous indeed.

In a nutshell, figure skating to the uneducated spectator may be the "world's least graceful sport". But the next time you get to an ice rink, let's see how well you do when you attempt a jump.

The Chinese gymnasts ages

baccurso — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 14:20:15 GMT

With regards to:

"No, we'll have to rely on the records. People don't have biological markers for precise age; there is no human equivalent for tree rings."

This isn't exactly true. While we cannot accurately tell how OLD someone is, we can closely approximate how YOUNG they are. How? Their teeth. Primary (baby) teeth and permanent (adult) teeth are lost and erupt in a very consistent pattern and around specific ages. While there is 6 months of wiggle-room around the "average" ages these events occur, it's not years. And unless there's something very rare going on like a syndrome or other medical complication, the overwhelmingly vast majority of people will lose their baby teeth and get their adult teeth within these specific windows.

From what I saw last night during the women's team final, I'd be very suspicious of at least 3 of the Chinese gymnasts. There's one in particular that I'd peg around 11-12 years old, tops.

I know the IOC doesn't want to embarrass China on their own turf, but come on, this is blatantly flagrant. It'd be like looking the other way while Marion Jones shot herself up before getting in the blocks for the 100m.

Signed, A Dentist.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.............

rick12string — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 20:14:51 GMT

"When will they ever learn....when will they ehhhh.....ver learn?"

Bob Dylan, 1961

Again, Slate travelers....Bob Foonman SPEAKS.....

The Olympics make watching dew evaporate a life-cleansing event............

Bob Foonman, Naperville, Illinois--Home of The Vynes, the greatest unknown rock band in history......

beach volleyball is a sport

stuphings — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 04:18:08 GMT

I have to agree that this guy has obviously not done all of his research on the sport. Beach volleyball is one of the most physically and mentally straining sports in the world. Covering all aspects of a normal volleyball game with only two people takes a lot of strategy and physical strength. Unless you have played the sport in actual tournaments on sand courts and not just in your backyards, the constant communication and fluidity necessary between partners is hard to grasp. In fact, many indoor volleyball players are horrible at beach volleyball because of the extra stamina and court knowledge it requires. It takes constant practice to master all of the techniques required for a decent game. I could go on forever about the the difficulty of beach volleyball but the fact that the game seemed so effortless to the national teams showed that these partners knew what they were doing and deserved to be playing in the Olympics.

Since beach volleyball is all about teamwork, building each other up is a given. Whether it is shown by high fives or butt slapping is nothing to give a second thought about. It is just their way of reminding each other that they are together. If the trust between partners fell apart, then the game would become impossible. Connecting the validity of the sport to the constant high fives and verbal encouragement is an absolutely immature attempt at degrading the sport. Any educated reader would scoff at that very thought.

As for the outfits of the beach volleyball players, they play in what is convenient. There is a reason for everything they wear, including sunglasses at night. Out of all the factors that players have to think about, looking right into a blinding stadium light is not something that they should have to worry about. Sand getting stuck in unnecessary clothing is not something they should have to worry about either. If these players were looking to flaunt their outfits as much as they were looking to play, then they would be in gymnastics, not beach volleyball.

Clearly, this guy has missed the point of beach volleyball completely and should move on to critisizing another, more ridiculous sport, and step away from beach volleyball which has earned every merit it has received.

A big thank you to Chinese people for

PumpkinSeed — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 15:33:12 GMT

the awesome spectacle of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

Consider the source ...

LickittySplitz — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 14:21:32 GMT

Fellow volleyers, don't let this guy's view on beach volleyball get you annoyed. Consider your source! Slate??? WTF is Slate?? Exactly, a rock. Not a creditable news source. I have never heard of this site until today and out of sheer spite, this will be the first site I have ever added to a "blocked" web site list.

Its obvious this guy has as much athleticism as a 93 year old man.

Tight Nets!!

Writer does mental lapse.

svargas — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 03:57:48 GMT

Ms. Schaffer, you have major issues. I'd inquire about your childhood, however after reading your "work" I really don't care. You're clearly writing to get a response and that alone is weak. In grade school, my classmate, Jimmy Weber, use to copy his school papers out of a book, or from other students. He didn't write any of his "work" himself. If I fell for your theory of the history of doping, and how you indict Ms. Torres because of some bad apples out there in this world, I'd have to apply the same way of thinking towards you and insist you didn't write this article yourself. Maybe Jimmy Weber wrote it! Quite possibly this could be your out. Want a response? I'm with the others that are choosing to boycott your scribbles.

at the end of day, still a dictatorship

ayalonValley — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 20:22:01 GMT

Sorry, but I refuse to get impressed by the deeds of an authoritarian government, even if very successful. Just the stories about the people expelled from their homes (for peanuts) to make way to more flowers, or other olympic projects, the massive lockdown of protesters before the Olympics, make me sick. As to the complicity of the IOC and major corporations, well what did we expect? All the screeching in world about how great and strong China is (true), how hypocritical the west is (very much true) will not change it.

Maybe we do need a guerilla Olympics, like some poster noted above, or just let the Aussies down there to be a permanent host. They seem to be the only ones not to take themselves too seriously

oof! the punch line!

modrax — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 01:35:26 GMT

that was a great great article! ...the last paragraph made it legendary!

olympic parade suits

Dave77654 — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 00:39:49 GMT

I couldn't help noticing that with their white pants, coats, and little hats the basketball team looked like someone dressed them as lawn jockeys. Whose stupid idea was that and why did they wear the suits?

Where Were the Media Darlings?

vasty2 — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 13:06:14 GMT

Kudos to Shawn Johnson, Bryan Clay, Yao Ming and the other classy international athletes who respected the spirit of the Games and reveled in the moment by showing up for the final ceremony.

But where were the others - all those high-profile American medal winners whose stories we heard ad infinitum over the span of two weeks? And Mr. Phelps, why were you in London rather than celebrating in Beijing?

What a rude and embarrassing slap in the face to the host country as well as to the other athletes, many of whom never got their hands around gold. If you're representing your country and proud of it, you should have been there.

That's nothing

fsilber — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 17:58:27 GMT

I remember a little over 35 years ago we had free-style sexual intercourse and assassination of Latin American dictators as Olympic events. I remember Howard Cosell commentating.

Or am I confusing the Olympics with ABC's Wide World of Sports?

The past is a foreign country

AriasMontano — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 03:19:46 GMT

If you think of the past as a foreign country, then you reproduce Sullivan's errors by making him seem peculiar, stupid, and "creepy."

Spain's silver-medal team played like gold

Lola in Spain — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 07:15:21 GMT

And that, fellow Fraysters, was the difference. The U.S. team looked (scary tatoos etc.), and played, like a bunch of gangsters. We watched the game on French t.v. (being on vacation), and the French announcers, although in awe of the "Redeem Team" aura, were clearing rooting for the Spaniards (not, I hasten to point out, a normal Gallic attitude), because they were truly a team. These guys had played together for years (two of them were brothers, of course, Pau and Marc Gasol), won a world championship, etc., and for various reasons, it was clear that this might be their last big game together. And what a game it was!

rolling my eyes ...

Paula26 — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 08:10:35 GMT

I think most of the posters expressing non-surprise at the commercial goals behind Team USA's image in Beijing hit it right on the head. Hell, I think an article in the LA Times went over this territory, with none of the self-importance and some actual facts.

Also, it might be wise for the writer to do some research and apply common sense before writing stuff like this. Jason Kidd is the idol of Misty May (she's got his uniform number tattooed on her back), and he promised to attend some of her games. Which constitutes an actual reason other than "wanting to be seen". I assume that all the other guys wanted to ogle hot and talented female athletes in bathing suits at a fake beach.

As for the pool events -- They wanted to be next to Jason Lezak, the cool guy who's not Michael Phelps. This was reported. And ogle hot and lightning-fast female athletes in bathing suits. And watch the truly awesome Phelps, whom even Tony Blair came to watch on the last day. The Water Cube was clearly the place to be this year.

It would have been more suspicious if we'd seen them turn up at, say, gymnastics finals.

Redeem this article

jucope — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 16:27:02 GMT

I see I'm late to the game: Everyone has noted how trivial and obvious it is that there's a business enterprise behind the NBA players who make up the US team. In China, no less! And that someone was probably paid for coming up with the phrase "Redeem Team." Who knew?

I had hoped that this article would be about some *sports-related* objection to calling them the Redeem Team -- like, there's an actual reason they don't deserve it. But seeing how Spain, Argentina, etc. all have rosters full of NBA players, what the USA team did was pretty impressive.

Pointless article

jmcsby5 — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 23:44:17 GMT

Yet again, Slate leads with a headline form it's home page that promises some big expose: something about the U.S. basketball team having some big secret, some sham that Slate has uncovered. Instead, no substance. So they marketed the team and will make money because it is esentially an extension of the NBA. Really, Slate? Are you sure?

Nowhere does Slate say Coach K wasn't a great choice, nowhere does Slate say these guys superstars didn't buy into the team concept (they did). Nowhere does Slate argue that the NBA hasn't done some growing up because of apst internatiuonal embarrassments (it has).

Please, explain to me what the point of this article was?

no redemption for this article

airbear — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 20:35:23 GMT

More space-filler from Slate.

I didn't make it to the end of the article, so it may be my fault that I didn't see any point in it, other than that perennial favorite, the commercialization of sports.

Jimmy Page

freetrader — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 13:10:13 GMT

Nice surprise appearance by Jimmy Page (the former Yardbirds and Led Zeppelin guitarist) to represent the handover to London at the Olympic Closing Ceremony. I don't know if this was mentioned on TV but I believe he is one quarter Chinese - his appearance may have some symbolic value.

Redeem team discovers the cure for cancer

Cranky1000 — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 12:15:12 GMT

You are crazy, Slate. The Redeem Team is on a higher moral plain than the rest of us and are brimming with virtue.

Last night, Martin Luther King, Jr., Mohandis K. Ghandi, Abraham Lincoln, and (oh... let's say) Liberace all rose from the dead in order to sing a rousing barbershop quarter of "For they're some jolly good fellows"

Kobe Bryant was almost late to the Gold Medal game because he had to walk an old lady across the street. True story.

The Redeem Team restores the reputation of the United States internationally: France called and wants to admire us again, Russia called and said that it doesn't want to be dominant in the Caucuses, Balkans or Baltics: they just want to score off the bench like Wade.

People who don't accept the moral awesomeness of the Redeem Team have asbestos in their soul and are responsible for global warming. Take your carbon footprint and shove it up your asbestos, Slate!

The play's the thing

RT Travaloni — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 01:57:45 GMT

This article is just one long tautology. Of course the marketing of, and the corporate spin surrounding the US Olympic team is a crafted and created thing. Of course. The marketing is marketing. And of course it all smacks of the NBA. Of course it does. And yes, both Coach K and Mr. C are right-wing nutjobs.

But the great thing about sports, and perhaps, THE great thing about sports, is that the product of the event itself can't be faked. It is a fact that the US team in Athens sucked, relatively speaking; that it was unable to play defense against a motion offense, that it could not connect on three pointers or free throws with any regularity, and that it was essentially selfish. And it is a fact that that team did not win gold.

Likewise, it is a fact that our team in Beijing is awesome in every way, spectacularly so, a credit to our nation and a credit to the sport, and if, as it should, the team brings home gold tomorrow night (or whenever the finals are ) it will, in fact, be a redemption of some kind. On the court.

However you want to label it, or not label it the play's the thing, and the play this year has been absolutely inspiring. I agree that the marketing is cheesy and manipulative, and even creepy at times, but to deny the reality of the games themselves is missing the larger point, I think....

One-trick pony

McNulty — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 05:11:50 GMT

If you do a search of Tommy Craggs' articles on Slate you will see how the media also are wrong in their views of Kobe Bryant's 81-point game; John Wooden, apparently not quite the coach we've been made to believe; UCLA's Kevin Love; Peyton Manning; and the Kentucky Derby.

sigh .... really!!?!

aasan — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 02:19:08 GMT

C'mon man. Whether you give a damn or not, we all know marketers are going to market - big deal! But, guess what they are banking on is a US victory; otherwise Redeem team sounds pretty stupid! So, if they win, it's a whole lotta sale of bikinis, shoes and what not, but if they lose, it is about quickly removing the "redeem team attire" products from the market. So, at least there's some excitement here ... it's fun to watch from the sidelines (cuz no matter what, I won't be buying anything to redeem myself - I'm long lost!)

Contrarian to be contrarian

bml37221 — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 01:48:59 GMT

The author would do well to point out ways that the team does not live up to the image that they are doing so well marketing.

I was expecting a link to Page 2 to read a litany of concrete examples after the huge build-up. . . but nothing? Really surprised that this article escaped the editing process

Craggs seems to have a view into the dark, selfish souls of the players, and I guess when you've got that, who needs any evidence. So we should assume that when they're posing before cameras (gasp!) with the opposing team or watching the swimming events, they're really only doing this for future earning potential? Weird assumptions to make, in my opinion. Let's cut them some slack here.

Mr. Craggs, I hope you can somehow avoid the promotional blitz of Redeem Team products which are flooding the country and making it nearly impossible to walk down the street without painful reminders that our Olympic basketball team is comprised of professional athletes.