The minute that the Olympics allowed professional players to participate in sports like hockey and basketball, everyone in this country was thrilled. It was especially spured on by the "Dream Team" in 1992 at the summer games in Barcelona. The United States basketball team ripped through the competition on their way to a gold medal. However, in the years since, the rest of the world has caught up while the United States has not progressed at all, or at least that is what it seems like. The United States basketball team got beat down in Greece in 2004, the United States (and Canadian) hockey team just got beat like a little bitch, and everyone is standing around pointing fingers. The US hockey team had 23 men on their team, 23 NHL players (three of whom, Doug Weight, Brian Rolston, and John Graham I watched when they played college hockey at Lake Superior State University), and a record of 1-4-1. 'They make this storm, and stand outside and when it rains, they yell shit it's raining!' (That is from Cold Mountain, its not a direct quote, but pretty damn close).
The point is, everyone was happy when the thought of having pros in the Olympics, but now that the rest of the world has caught up with the US, we bitch and moan about it. Mike Madino was quoted as saying 'it's time for new blood.' after the US men's hockey team got ousted by the Finnish team 4-3 in the first round of the medal round. He is right, we need to get rid of all the egos and the pros and get back to having college kids playing for the country, not for their names. The egos were more present within the men's basketball team in Greece when they were a disappointment to the jerseys that they were wearing. Didn't any of these guys see 'Miracle'? You play for the name on the front, not the name on the back.
Listen up you whiny rich bitches, in four years, when the Olympics roll around again, and you are asked to play, don't. You don't deserve it.
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