>US hockey and basketball players are not paid to play in the Olympics.

Craig;

That is not the point. There was a time when no athlete could compete in the Olympics who was paid as an athlete regardless of the sport. Jim Thorpe played semi pro baseball one summer. He was a runner in the Olympics. Professional U.S. Hockey players participating in Olympic Hockey and professional U.S. Basketball players participating in Olympic Basketball. That is not the way it was meant to be. However, it is now all changed and will continue to do so. The object today is for a Nation to win more medals than any other nation. Up until 1992 it was "The free world vs communism"! National Paranoia. :)

Tom


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>>Nick;
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>>The “New Olympics” begun in the 1890’s were meant to be for athletes and quickly became about Nations competing with each other. When there was a U.S.S.R., Soviet athletes were paid by their government to train and compete. Professional athletes were used on many occasions. If an American athlete accepted money from anyone to train or compete they were disqualified. The story of Jim Thorpe comes to mind – as he won gold but it was taken from him as he had played in a unrelated sport field as a “semi pro” and was paid a few dollars for his effort. His medal was given back recently – many years after he died.
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>>Today things have changed – just look at basketball and hockey. Enough – I am getting ill! :)
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>>Tom