8 Players Expelled From Olympics Amid "Throwing Match" Scandal.

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Posted by george112

Eh. They got kicked out. They got what was coming.

However at the same time its called strategy. If the rules allow you to technically do something then why not?

Yeah the fans don't like it but a games objective is to win. Always

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I agree with BSB on this one. While the end goal is to win, the Olympics is unlike any other sporting competition. The Olympics are supposed to be about honor and integrity. You are not supposed to play for yourself, you're supposed to do so as a distinguished representative of your country; an ambassador.

Feel free to use such strategies in a professional competition, or even in an amateur one, but the Olympics are different. Athletes need to understand they their entire countries are watching them and rooting for them.

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Posted by warglory

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Posted by george112

Eh. They got kicked out. They got what was coming.

However at the same time its called strategy. If the rules allow you to technically do something then why not?

Yeah the fans don't like it but a games objective is to win. Always

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I agree with BSB on this one. While the end goal is to win, the Olympics is unlike any other sporting competition. The Olympics are supposed to be about honor and integrity. You are not supposed to play for yourself, you're supposed to do so as a distinguished representative of your country; an ambassador.

Feel free to use such strategies in a professional competition, or even in an amateur one, but the Olympics are different. Athletes need to understand they their entire countries are watching them and rooting for them.

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Hey man I totally agree with you.

But whos to say countries like China look at the Olympics the same way we do? I'm not saying they don't . Im just saying it's a very strong possibility not all countries look at things the same way we do.

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Posted by BlueSkiesBurn

Because the product they ARE putting on the field is giving it 100%. You think Curtis Painter wanted to play crappy with Manning being saved for the post-season? These guys want to win even more than Manning, but they just can't.

You can bet your ass that if Peyton ever started intentionally throwing interceptions and fumbling the ball to get a better seed, he'd be booted from the NFL. That would be the same thing.

These players were INTENTIONALLY hitting things out, into the net, and letting things drop in play.

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Explain Jake Plummer then lol

Painter may be an average QB in the CFL, let alone a passable QB in the NFL. Painter may be giving his all, but the team knows they have a better chance at losing without Manning than with. Now this example is a little off because Peyton was hurt and couldn't actually play, but in this scenario its the coach purposely trying to lose, rather than the team, to get the better playoff matchup

I read about this today and the author made a point I kind of agree with: these athletes are playing for free to win a championship (ie gold medal). Pro athletes are paid to perform every night to the best of their abilities...they are not "allowed" to purposely take a night off and throw a game. These athletes are playing solely for personal and national glory. They dont get 5-6 figure paychecks regardless of nightly performances over the course of a 5 month season.

In principle, I agree with you in that no athlete should ever throw a game..."you play to win the game." I don't like the fact that they so blatantly tried to lose either, but with the way this tournament is set up along with the fact that it is gold or bust for these teams, I see this more as strategic than "cheating the system" or however you want to describe it.

edit: just saw on the news that athletes get paid for winning medals. Gold medal winners get paid: Canada $20,000; USA $25,000; China $50,000; Russia $100,000. Those are the only numbers they showed. So for the athletes to purposely lose a match to have an easier road to gold and a nice paycheck, I cant say I fault them for it...I may have done the same in their shoes but a little less obvious