If one thing has been certain in this Winter Olympics is that the Americans are short on Olympic spirit. It’s been the Olympics of whining, feuds, and failed expectations. Here is a short list of the best that the Americans have had to offer
What’s great is that you get to vote on who wins the U.S. Olympic Spirit Award, given every Olympics since 1968. The award’s rule say winner have
“Demonstrated their Olympic Spirit by succeeding in sport despite significant obstacles or adversity, inspiring a nation with exemplary behavior, or carrying out an accomplishment, deed, performance or action that changes the face of an Olympic sport.”
Past winners have been Dan Jansen, Scott Hamilton, Rulon Gardner. Can you imagine Johnny Weir in the same category?
Now you can vote and every athlete is eligible. Want to vote for your favorite curling superstar which I couldn’t name if my life depended on it? Sure. So it’s scary to think legions of fans could go on and vote Johnny Weir with the U.S. Olympic Spirit award. I think he would show up in Prada sunglasses, a pink boa, fish net shirt, and tight pants with the word “Hot” on his butt. Somehow I think Will at Deadspin is burning up his keyboard voting for Johnny.
So far in voting Johnny is actually in the top eight in the male category. Bode Miller is shockingly in seventh place right now. Bode stunk. Johnny stunk and blamed everything but the War in Iraq. Chad Hedrick is number two but started the best feud we’ve seen since Shaq-Kobe. No Shani Davis which is surprising. First black individual gold medal in Winter Olympics history. Of course feuds with Chad but Chad made the voting. Hmmm. Not saying it’s a black thing but it sure looks like it. White boy Shaun White looks to be leading now.
The women side seems to make more sense. No Lindsey Jacobellis in the top eight. But if Bode Miller is in the top eight, then Lindsey, who has done every interview and not backed down to the questions, should get some votes. Someone’s drunk. Lindsey Kildow, Sasha Cohen, and Hannah Teeter round out the top three. All deserving of those spots.
My vote would go to Joey Cheeks who donated $40,000 of his winnings to charity. For the women Sasha Cohen for handling her silver medal like a champion when she could have easily had a meltdown off the ice.
But to make a difference you have to vote. Chad, Shani, Bode, Johnny, Lindsey J. and Mike Modano are all waiting for your sick minded votes.
Olympic Spirit Award Voting Update [USOlympicteam.com]
Vote for the winner [USOlympicteam.com]
Lindsey Jacobellis’ Premature Celebration [Sports Pulse]
Meltown of the Ambigously Gay Skater [Sports Pulse]
Deadspin’s comprehensive coverage of Johnny Weir [Deadspin.com]
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There’s a lot of factors here, but it seems the US has always been at it’s best when there’s a strong sense of national spririt. During the Cold War, the athletes seemed to have more heart uniting against the Soviet Union and communist bloc countries. Nowadays, people just don’t seem to have the heart, and you can see that especially when the pros get out there in national competition (NHL, NBA and now MLB). Part of that may be that the professional games have now encompassed so many atheletes worldwide that the people they’re playing against in the Oympics (or other similar competitions) are the same people they’ll be teammates with a couple of weeks later.
Maybe we need to give Al Qaeda a team…
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