Since the 1984 Olympics, the guidelines that made the games 'amateur' and excluded professional athletes have been removed. As Bill Cleary sees it, the change this made in the games was highlighted by the 'Dream Team'. He believed they made a mockery of the Olympic ideals. The games became built on marketing and sponsorship and were more about the money than the competition. The saddest effect of this in his opinion, is that you'll no longer see the "kid next door " come out of nowhere to win a medal. Most young athletes now can't even get an opportunity to try out for the games.
Lane MacDonald remembers that the first push towards allowing professional athletes at the Olympics came from the Eastern Bloc countries. They broke the rules by having their athletes assigned to Red Army units that did nothing but train them for the games. Instead of clarifying the rules, the IOC decided to simply get rid of them. In some ways it leveled the playing field, but it also got rid of opportunities for young athletes. To him, the games used to be about opportunity and sacrifice; they used to be about cheering for the underdog. As he sees it, that's all gone now.
For many athletes, just struggling to make the games involves a whole lifestyle commitment. Rowers, like Betsy McCagg, have to get up early every morning for four years to practice. She contrasts this to the professional players who often just get a call a few months before the games asking them if they want to come. One of the biggest differences she noticed between the two groups of athletes, was at the Olympic village. She recalls that the pros would often leave the village to go stay in fancy hotels. Often though, it was only the American players who left; the big name athletes from other countries tended to stay in the village with the rest of their team. In the end, she wonders if the Olympics are even a significant experience for professional athletes.
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