Has USA improved so much or has the rest of world digressed?

[JimC1097]

In wake of our record setting performance in the Olympics, I was wondering everyone's thoughts.

Have we improved drastically or...
without Soviet block, steroid enhanced athlete factories
communist countries still around, except for North Korea, have "westernized" so to speak. Populations now have other interests thus less focus on athletics, etc.

 

[GloryDawg]

<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">I think it has to do with the economy and money being given to help fund athletes. Times are hard here but things are worst in Europe. There are a lot more people to donate here. Plus the winter sports are played by people who grew up with the resources to do those sports like skiing and ice skating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Those families are most likely better off. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes"></span>Just a opinion and I could be way off base. </p>

 

[615dawg]

1. We have improved in the winter sports. The Soviet bloc is completely dead. For about three Olympic cycles after the breakup of the USSR, there was some evidence that it was still there.
2. The addition of sports like snowboarding has more people interested in winter sports, period. But hell, Stephen Colbert was the lead sponsor of US Speedskating as a joke. That's a sport that countries like Holland treat like we treat football.

It'll be four years before people care about these sports again, and we'll have about 10-15 medals then because we will be screwed in Sochi. Flowood 2022 winter olympics will get them back though.

 

[ckDOG]

I'm not fact checking on this either - take it for what it's worth. I bet the U.S. much better than the rest of the world at the non-traditional events (snowboarding, women's hockey, short track, etc.) and is at least competetive in the traditional events. The new events allow American to shine in the winter olympics. Eastern European nations couldn't care less about the half pipe, but Americans love it.

 

[dickiedawg]

Including Canada.<div>
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[kired]

Actually we had more metals in the traditional sports, while Canada did much better than us in recently added events. We won a lot in the skiing & skating events, plus events like nordic combined & bobsledding which we normally aren't very strong.

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Olympics/Olympics-blog/2010/0228/Vancouver-Olympics-final-medal-count-Who-won

 

[patdog]

nm

 

[MeridianDog]

And the President (my fingers refusd to type presidert and Russia i teh sae sentence) said that the leaders of their olympic team must resign or someone "would elp them". I figure we are better (Just look at snowboarding on youtube no one was close) and it is harder for some of the old powerhouses to stay "big and strong like bull".

Our ice speed skaters were simply better. We got better in alpine events looking at old scores times etc vs new ones - we are better.

Our male figure skaters? Just as they always have been.I saw more than enoughDick Buttons in our latest generation, not that I'm trying to saythere is anything wrong withthat.

 

[UpTheMiddlex3Punt]

Barack Obama commanded it. Said no one goes downhill faster than him.

/hey, at least I didn't start a thread to say this.