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Originally Posted by UnderseaLcpl
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Originally Posted by Stealth Hunter
Not surprising the Chinese would lie about the ages of their athletes.
Once upon a time, Olympians had lives outside of the stadium. They had other jobs, they had other hobbies, and they went about these things as we common folk do. For some, this is still the case.
For a Chinese Olympian, life consists of training, lying, and discipline. That IS their job, their purpose: to make their country look all powerful and invincible...  |
Is it that much different from an American Olympian? I hope the lying part is the main difference.... |
Well, the lying part and the part where the government drags the child from their home at the age of three to become a showpiece for the country.
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Originally Posted by Stealth Hunter
Most American athletes in the Olympics do have other lives outside of competing. The fact of the matter is unless you're a superb Olympian, you'll have to get a regular job. It just won't pay for you.
Michael Phelps, for instance, has been a pro-athlete swimmer since 16 and became a millionaire at 18. He has never had a real job outside swimming (unless you count the jobs he did for his uncle, but family errands really don't mean much, IMO).
Phelp's job is to swim. He gets a ridiculous amount of money from companies and corporations like VISA, SPEEDO, etc.
If they can convince him to use their gear, then he'll get money... a sh**load of it. He can easily rake in $50 million by the end of the 2008 Olympics.
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All true, but he made that choice, didn't he? And ask the Chinese parents why they won't let their child come home after they've been "conscripted" into the program. The differences are few, but they are major differences.