The United States Men’s Basketball team, the Redeem Team, went into the gold medal game against Spain last night, and captured the gold medal for the United States once again.  While the team may not have made it look as easy as they did in 1992, they certainly improved on the performances of the U.S. national team over the past few years.

It is hard to say that this team was led by any one player because they all contributed and they are all so good.  But some of the players who stuck out in my mind were Dwyane Wade (rejoice Heat fans, there is hope!) because of his resurgence after an injury plagued year, Chris Bosh who finally got the recognition that he deserves after being trapped in the media black hole of Toronto Raptors basketball, and of course Kobe Bryant and LeBron James simply taking over when it was crunch time.

To me, the most impressive thing about this team was not that they won by 30 or 40 points almost every game, the most impressive thing was how they went about winning.  This team tried their asses off every single game, and when they weren’t playing or practicing they were out watching fellow Americans.  This team was bigger than the individuals on it, it was even bigger than USA basketball, it was all about the USA Olympic Team, and that was refreshing to see.

I have no doubt that people will be saying that the celebration after winning gold was excessive.  People will say that they should have acted in a more reserved manner because they were the clear favorites going into the games.  I disagree on all counts with those critics.  Seeing the team celebrate like that after they won the gold medal made me realize that this team wanted it more than they could ever express in words.  They didn’t expect to win the gold, they expected a hard fight the entire way and while it appeared they were able to coast some of the time they never rubbed it in, they never showboated, and they always kept grinding and the result was an Olympic gold.

Hungry Michael Phelps

Had Nine Gold Medals But Ate One

Now He Owns Mark Spitz

If you’ve been paying any attention at all to the 2008 Summer Olympics, its more than likely that you’re familiar with some of the more popular events like Swimming, Gymnastics, Track & Field, and Basketball, but what about the events that don’t get that prime-time coverage on NBC? Here’s a tribute to the 5 most obscure Sports at the Beijing Olympics.

#5 BMX Biking
Once relegated to a small but dedicated following at the X-Games, in 2008 BMX Racing became the newest Olympic Sport. BMX Racing involves using customized bicycles, usually featuring 20 inch wheels, to race around a dirt track which often feature multiple jumps and other challenges. According to the official Beijing Olympics website: “The Olympic BMX track, which is approximately 300 to 400 meters in length, features high technical jumps and other obstacles designed for the top-level riders of the BMX racing.”

Think: a nice bike ride on a dirt path + Mountain Dew

#4 Yachting
When I think of yachting, I think of it as an activity enjoyed by old men (think: Hugh Hefner) with goofy looking caps on a lazy Saturday afternoon. It turns out yachting is actually an Olympic sport. In fact there are even four different categories of events for men and women, as well as three mixed events. Olympic yachting generally takes the form of a race to cross the finish line between numerous vessels, which require each vessel to navigate around multiple buoys without interfering with competitors.

Think: sailing on steroids

#3 Field Hockey
Hockey is a summer Olympics sport? Apparently when anyone outside of North America and Eastern Europe refer to Hockey, they’re talking about field hockey. Field Hockey is played between two teams of 11 players (10 position players and a keeper). Players battle to hit a small plastic ball into a goal by using a stick; shaped much like those used in Ice Hockey. The similarities end there. In field hockey only the Keeper is allowed to touch the ball with their body, and even they are not allowed to catch the ball or bring it to a dead stop. Also, goals are only counted if they are scored from within a semi-circle which extends roughly 20 yards from the goal. International men’s Field Hockey has historically been dominated by natural rivals Indian and Pakistan, although in recent years European and Australian teams have challenged their dominance. The women’s sport is dominated by Australia, although India and China also are known to put together strong teams.

Think: Ice Hockey (without the skates) + Soccer + Lacrosse

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As everyone expected, there have been a lot of questions, perhaps it might be more appropriate to call it uproar, following the gold medal victory by the Chinese women’s gymnastics team.  This is certainly the result of the fact that half of the team looked like they were nowhere near the required competition age of 16.  And even though there has been a bunch of eyebrows raised at the possibility that China could be trying to fool the world, one set that isn’t raised is that of the International Olympic Committee.

The IOC has refused to comment on whether or not they would further investigate reports that members of the team may be as young as 13 years old.  They, along with the International Gymnastics Federation have both stated that when determining the eligibility of a gymast, the go to source is a passport. Both organizations claim that they have looked at the passport and both accept the claim that she is 16 years old. Both organizations are also apparently ignoring a newspaper report from China last November that claimed that He Kexin was just 13 years old.  Unless she went into some crazy time warp that means she can be no older than 14 now, two years shy of the required age to compete in the Olympics.  Curiously, a few hours after the Associated Press found this article it was no longer available on the website, though the rest of the site functioned just fine. These claims are being made by nearly all major news organizations including Sports Illustrated.

And yet, the IOC still refuses to investigate.  Apparently not wanting to offend a ruthless dictatorship is more important than the integrity of an international sporting event the size of the Olympics, or so that’s the message the IOC is putting forth.  I call bullshit, I call bullshit on these girls being 16 years old just like I called bullshit on China’s claims that they would let the international press have free reign.  As an obvious affront to that last claim, here’s a video of an international reporter not being able to do his job. If the Chinese government really wanted to, it would take absolutely no effort to create a false passport. The fact that the IOC is reufsing to investigate these claims just shows how much they are bending to the will of the Chinese government, which is truly a shame.  The integrity of these Olympics is quickly sinking, and the IOC needs to act fast.  They need to investigate these gymnasts and if it turns out they are not of age to compete in the Olympics then not only should their gold medals be taken away, but the team should be suspended from international competition for a serious amount of time.  Alas, the IOC will show as many teeth as a standard hockey player, and this will probably be swept under the rug.

While you were sleeping, the 2008 Summer Olympics officially got underway on the other side of the world in Beijing. While often played under a cloud of suspicion (and, in this case, deadly smog), the Olympics are still one of my favorite sporting events out there. I’ll watch any Olympic sport, I don’t give a damn. If it’s accompanied by that theme music, there’s a good chance I’m tuning in.

Spoilers
One of my biggest gripes with the Olympics are spoilers. This year, with the games being played a measly 15 time zones away, spoilers are going to be tough to avoid. We’re going to do our best to not post any “primetime” results until the following morning. We live in the age of DVR and TIVO, there should be no reason why sports fans can’t watch the events when they want to.

The Redeem Team
You can bet your ass I’ll be tuned in for the much-anticipated basketball opener between the United States and China. What do I want to see out of this team? A gold medal would be nice. But I want this team playing with a chip on its shoulder. We’ve assembled a ridiculous roster capable of playing hard-nosed defense, running the fast break and most importantly, destroying a zone defense. Leave no doubt, Stars and Stripes.

But perhaps most of all, I want LeBron James and Kobe Bryant to become more than basketball players. On the medal stand (which I expect them to stand atop of), these two superstars will have the chance to make a statement that goes beyond slam dunks. It is here that LBJ and the Black Mamba can make a statement about China’s controversial relationship with the genocidal government of Darfur.

All it takes is some courage to weather the storm that will soon follow, but demonstrations in the Olympics can go a long way towards opening people’s eyes up.

Other storylines to watch
- Can Michael Phelps continue his domination? Eight gold medals are calling his name. Eight.
- Can Dara Torres ease my suspicions? I hate thinking the worst when a 40-something-year-old athlete makes the Olympics. Please, Dara. Don’t test positive for any beaver tranquilizer.
- Can I watch every second of online coverage? I’m going to give it a shot.