We’re Now One of the Bad Guys who Use Pro Athletes and Crush the Other Nations!
I could not let the 40th Anniversary of the Miracle on Ice without a blog post (since it is exceedingly unlikely the legislature will elect me a judge) and a friendly but pointed reminder to my countrymen!
And that is not what this TV station (ABC 7 in NY) commented on:
The Americans’ stunning 4-3 victory in the Miracle on Ice game – which was played 40 years ago Saturday – was shown on tape delay because the game started at 5 p.m. Today that would be unthinkable.
“If you go back to what happened, cable TV is in its infancy, no internet, no national newspaper, no social media, none of what we have today,” said Al Michaels, who called the game. “So you could truly keep a lot of people in the dark as to what the result was.”
Michaels is right of course. But that’s not it…
It is not even the wonderful parade in St. Paul called the Greatest Day in US Sports History…no, wait for it!
It is that today, in many sports, the Miracle on Ice or whatever, at the Olympics, cannot happen UNLESS it is the USA that is upset by some smaller national team that is not laden with pro athletes. (That is one reason why the curling gold was such a big deal – it was a lot like the 1980 event. See Here and Here.)
For those who want to celebrate the Miracle on Ice in the proper way, here are a few of Sanders’ greatest hits on this subject! And here and here, too.
So I say: Yes, celebrate the Miracle on Ice and here’s the US Olympic Committee site to protest pro athletes in the Olympic Games. It’s not fair to the smaller nations, it favors the major powers, it is driven by TV ratings, and it’s sports imperialism!
About Elwood Sanders
Elwood "Sandy" Sanders is a Hanover attorney who is an Appellate Procedure Consultant for Lantagne Legal Printing and has written ten scholarly legal articles. Sandy was also Virginia's first Appellate Defender and also helped bring curling in VA! (None of these titles imply any endorsement of Sanders’ views)
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