FROGLEGS

This is the first summer since 1992 when I have the two things necessary to really enjoy the Olympics.  I have a television and I have time.  

In 1996, I was in Portugal without a TV and working with several charities full-time as part of an international short-term team.  The year 2000 found me in Madrid and recently married.  Because the Olympics were in Australia, all the really good events were in the morning.  I was working with YWAM then and they always kept me busy in the morning.  In the summer of 2004 found Heather and I in Ibiza working with 24-7.  We were living in the guest quarters of a house that had no TV.  We spent most days with short-term teams engaged in various activities.  And when you are in Ibiza for the summer, it really is a sin to sit inside and watch TV all day.

All that to say that this is probably the first summer in 16 years that I find myself anticipating the Olympics with an emotion verging on excitement.  

I’m looking forward to seeing USA vs. Spain in men’s basketball.  American basketballing pride was severely wounded in Greece when they were only able to take the bronze medal.  Then NBA stars had a terrible time in the World Basketball Championships where Spain took home the winner’s trophy.  I caught bits of the USA vs. Australia friendly match and it does look like the USA squad is much improved.  They have never lacked talent, that much is obvious.  What they have this time that I don’t think they have had since 1992 (the first year NBA stars were allowed to compete, head over to youtube and search for “Dream Team 1992“.  They were so far above any other nation’s team, it was almost sad.) is two things: motivation and an attention to the basics.  The US men looked ready to compete today.  Although Australia only finished 11 points behind the US, they were never really in the game.  Anytime the aussies got within 10 points, LeBron James came off the bench, did his game dominating “thang” for about 5 minutes and then went back and sat down.  If LeBron is angry and ready to win, then the rest of the squad will be too.  They out-rebounded the aussies and also had a better shooting percentage from the field.  Those are two things that Team USA haven’t done in international competition of late.

 

Los hermanos Gasol

Having said all that, the NBA All-Star team had better be ready for a fight.  Team Spain (or el ÑBA as they call them here) are a pretty serious threat to take them out in the semifinal round (August 22) of the men’s basketball bracket.  The Gasol brothers (pictured left) are from Barcelona, but from looking at them you’d think they were good ol’ boys from the Appalachian mountains.  Marc and Pau are big, they are strong and they don’t play nice. Team USA had better be ready to fight it out in the paint against these two if they want to get the rebounds they will need to be able to win.  Many of the spanish squad have played or are currently playing in the NBA.  They have talent and experience.  And did I mention that they are world champions?  These guys are no push-overs and are probably the biggest challenge to Team USA getting the gold in three weeks.  I don’t know who I’ll be pulling for on August 22nd.

One of the funniest changes of perspective has to do with the Medal Count.  As an American, I’m curious to see if the US can hold off China at the top of the Medal Count.  But as a long-time resident of Spain, I’m excited to see if Spain can get more than the 14 medals they got in Athens.  Whereas I couldn’t tell you who won even 5 of the USA gold medals in the last Olympics, each Spanish medal is front page news here.  I can name all the gold and silver medal winners for Spain four years ago.  Each one of them are national heroes, instantly known throughout the country.

I do have to say that I am a bit disappointed that China’s failings in the area of human rights has not been more in the news.  It seems like the big elephant in the room that no one is talking about.  I hope history doesn’t look back on these games in a similar way to how we look back on Berlin 1936.  And it isn’t just the Tibetan fight for freedom.  What about the 60 to 80 million Christians in China who suffer near daily oppression and are unable to practice their religion freely and openly? I appreciate all the changes that it seems the Chinese government has made to be able to put their new, modern country on display before the world.  But there is something in me that demands some true reformation of government at the most basic level.  I apologise if a few new European-designed buildings in Beijing don’t impress me much.  Here is a question: When was the last time the Olympics were awarded to a totalitarian regime?  Let’s see if anyone can remember…

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 5th, 2008 at 6:57 am and is filed under Current Events. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.