The flag bearers for the Olympic opening ceremonies for the U.S. team will apparently be LeBron James and Coco Gauf. On the one hand, James has a good record in the Olympics (I think this will be his 4th). On the other hand, Gauf is debuting this Olympics and neither one of them plays a sport for which the Olympics is the pinnacle of competition.
I don’t know that the selection actually matters in any real way, but I always wonder if it wouldn’t be better to give these honors to athletes for whom the Olympics is really the biggest deal.
Worth noting that the selections seem to be based on athlete votes.
I feel the way about the Olympics the same way I felt about NCAA: it was sport for the same of love of sport/country and not tainted by money.
When I was young my dad suggested I do a book report on Jim Thorpe and I remember being frustrated at the notion that his medals were taken away (yet re-awarded posthumously).
I loved that the Olympics were amateur athletes. To me it offered a different feel and I loved watching.
So to me, I think the flag bearers should be individuals who are lesser-known/not at the pointy end of a mainstream sport and who would love to have that honor.
If the goal is to select people who would feel honored, LeBron and Coco are not great choices, given their fame and wealth. If the goal is to select people whom you feel honored to have as your standard bearer, maybe they’re good choices.
Maybe the committee felt the same way, couldn’t decide which unknown athletes should be chosen from the several hundred and said, fuck it, let’s just do LeBron.
So to me, I think the flag bearers should be individuals who are lesser-known/not at the pointy end of a mainstream sport and who would love to have that honor.
While i completely agree with this. To some extent I feel like a lot of the athletes who dont do mainstream sports, just couldn’t cut it in mainstream sports. (you even see the pecking order in the mainstream sports).
I even have a hard time believing a distance runner wouldnt become a sprinter if he had the chance.
So to me, I think the flag bearers should be individuals who are lesser-known/not at the pointy end of a mainstream sport and who would love to have that honor.
While i completely agree with this. To some extent I feel like a lot of the athletes who dont do mainstream sports, just couldn’t cut it in mainstream sports. (you even see the pecking order in the mainstream sports).
I even have a hard time believing a distance runner wouldnt become a sprinter if he had the chance.
Without commenting on the substance of whether one athlete could or could not cut it in a different sport, what does that mean for my comment?
I was commenting that my love for the Olympics was rooted in the amateur status of athletes and it seemed to be rooted in a love of sport and competition (not money) IMO.
So in the sense that these mainstream pro athletes Shirley aren’t lacking for any spotlight or accolade; I feel as if they have had enough chance for fame and achievement so let’s let some of the other athletes have a go at it, huh? Especially at the Olympics.
I don’t think their athletic ability carryover should affect that at all.
I think Sydney McLaughlin would have been a better choice. Third Olympics, world record holder in athletics. A favorite for gold. On the mens side: Noah Lyles.
So to me, I think the flag bearers should be individuals who are lesser-known/not at the pointy end of a mainstream sport and who would love to have that honor.
While i completely agree with this. To some extent I feel like a lot of the athletes who dont do mainstream sports, just couldn’t cut it in mainstream sports. (you even see the pecking order in the mainstream sports).
I even have a hard time believing a distance runner wouldnt become a sprinter if he had the chance.
Without commenting on the substance of whether one athlete could or could not cut it in a different sport, what does that mean for my comment?
I was commenting that my love for the Olympics was rooted in the amateur status of athletes and it seemed to be rooted in a love of sport and competition (not money) IMO.
So in the sense that these mainstream pro athletes Shirley aren’t lacking for any spotlight or accolade; I feel as if they have had enough chance for fame and achievement so let’s let some of the other athletes have a go at it, huh? Especially at the Olympics.
I don’t think their athletic ability carryover should affect that at all.
100% agree. I very much dislike professional athletes in the Olympics, though I understand it’s difficult to draw the line at amateur/professional. I do know that LeBron is 100% over that line.
I think Katie Ledecky is an obvious choice, but she is not planning on attending the opening ceremonies because of the swim schedule.
“I never planned on going to opening ceremonies this year,†she said during her first Olympics press conference in Paris on Wednesday. “I know a lot of swimmers that are racing the first few days don’t really have it in mind.â€
“I know some of the swimmers that compete later on in the week might be attending. I got to do that in 2012, tremendous experience, but yeah, I’m not attending this year. I know our flag bearers are going to represent our team really well,†she said.
I think the athletes for whom this is the pinnacle of their sport- might want to be more focused on winning gold than carrying a flag.
I think it’s rare it’s someone in that position. Don’t a lot of athletes skip the opening ceremony depending on the timing of their event?
I think they mainly skip Opening if their event is very soon on the schedule. Many of the athletes won’t compete for a week or more after the Opening ceremony.
I loved that the Olympics were amateur athletes. To me it offered a different feel and I loved watching.//
Unless you are really old, your love lies in history books about the old games. Money has been an influence in the games for a very long time, just took awhile for it to come out and be aboveboard. And of course not all sports at the same time, but they all got there at some point…
I think Katie Ledecky is an obvious choice, but she is not planning on attending the opening ceremonies because of the swim schedule.
“I never planned on going to opening ceremonies this year,†she said during her first Olympics press conference in Paris on Wednesday. “I know a lot of swimmers that are racing the first few days don’t really have it in mind.â€
“I know some of the swimmers that compete later on in the week might be attending. I got to do that in 2012, tremendous experience, but yeah, I’m not attending this year. I know our flag bearers are going to represent our team really well,†she said.
Ledecky or Biles seem like the most obvious choice to go with a woman and non-basketball athlete.
I think Biles would be a great choice. She isn’t amateur but it is a non mainstream on TV all the time sport.
We (CDN) have Andre Degrasse and lady who is gold medal winner in Tokyo in weightlifting. I think they are good choices n’est pas . France has a swimmer and discus thrower. Britain has a diver and a rower. Australia has a paddler and hockey player. NZ has cyclist and sailing. America is the only one going with mass TV athletes .
It’s all about ratings and checking boxes. I don’t watch the NBA but I know who LeBron is because he rides a Canyon. I know who Coco is because she played at Wimbledon when she was really young and she won the US open.
Also remember that some athletes have events starting the next day so that’s why you won’t see Katie Ledecky or Taylor Knibb at the opening ceremonies.