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http://slamonline.com/online/2008/06/ma ... ic-spirit/

All things considered, Mark Cuban has been on what can probably be termed as his “best behavior” this season.

His criticism of the zebras quieted down significantly, and aside from his bizarre decision to ban bloggers from the Mavs’ locker room, he’s done a pretty good job of avoiding controversy. Well, so much for that.

With the Team USA roster expected to be unveiled on Monday, Cuban went on a tirade against what the Olympics (and NBA players’ participation) truly represent.

“I hate the fact that we lie to ourselves and pretend this is about representing country,” Cuban said. “It’s not. It’s about money.”

Is Cuban disappointed that Nowitzki and Kidd have chosen this path or does he understand?

“I understand completely, I just disagree,” Cuban said. “As I mentioned, to me, the disturbing part is not just the financial risk we incur, with minimal upside, it’s the hypocrisy of it all. Can’t we just call it the GE Olympic Team?”

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent ... f934d.html

Don Nelson responded with:

The U.S. men's Olympic basketball team, which will include Dallas Mavericks' guard Jason Kidd, is one of the top honors an athlete or coach can have, and former Mavs coach Don Nelson said Wednesday that it's a travesty that Mark Cuban views the Olympics as strictly a financial proposition.

"I couldn't disagree more," Nelson said. "It's not about the money. There is pride in these athletes. He ought to have more respect for his country. Everybody in the NBA makes plenty of money. It's not too much to ask that every four years you give something back to your country."

But remember Nelson is involved in a lawsuit with Cuban over money, so he's not likely to agree with him on anything anytime soon.

It should be noted that star players do make a lot of money getting their name out there, sponsors, endorsements, shoe deals etc so they do have other incentives to join the team.

From his perspective, NBA owners have no protection if their guys get hurt. So if their star player blows their knee over seas, he is losing money over that and there's nothing he can do about it.


what do you think

I disagree with Cuban that the Olympics is all about money because to me it represents an international get-together of the best talent in the world. (a true representative of that sample size) I sort of feel that Cuban should keep his mouth shut, but I also agree that there should be some stipulation guaranteeing a monetary benefit to NBA teams if these players are injured during international competition. But, I think Cuban took it a bit too far.

At some level, everything in sports is about the money. And that is true for the Olympics. But that doesn't mean that national pride etc. aren't important factors in it.

Wait.... athletes get paid to be on the Olympic team?

That Nicka wrote:Wait.... athletes get paid to be on the Olympic team?

paid? that's tough. i'm sure they get free room and board in extravagant luxury and probably also receive an allowance for random spending. Some athletes from different events would need these hand outs and it would be unfair to not also give this to the USA basketball as well. They are also going to get name exposure and endorsements from Nike, Wheaties, Reebok, Pepsi, McDonald's, ETC.
In my opinion that's being paid, but I can see how some wouldn't think that.

If you're under 25 you really have not known any other type of Olympics than what Cuban is referencing. Back in the 70's, maybe even the 80's the Olympics were more about playing for country the way that Cuban speaks of. Unfortunately there's no turning back.

Between the Multi-million dollar professionals and all the cheating (Steroids/EPO) that have taken over sports the Olympics have become must miss TV for me. For the past decade or two TV ratings for the Olympics have been abysmal.

We should appreciate Olympians and remember the true meaning of the games which is international peace. Yes, it has gotten very capatalist and very advertising heavy, but as someone who has attended Olympic ceremonies and competition I can say the actual events are very non-commercial. Everything (and I mean everything) around it has a logo on it though.

It's the Olympics: WHO CARES?

Moms and gay guys who like looking at the swimmers' bodies, that's who.

I really don't understand this sick obsession with a series of exhibition games where the only competitors who give 110% are those who are participating in sports that no one even watches the other 47 months of the four year period.

That was a quick suspension.

Don't backseat mod.

How do I get a suspended status with posting abilities?!?!?!?! Is this one of thos Firefox add ons I have heard so much about?

There's nothing wrong with national pride. Cuban is very cynical. Its all about money to him!

DelaneyRudd wrote:That was a quick suspension.

Doesn't change the fact that he's right.

The Olympics are a joke.

When it comes to sports, Americans definitely show more support for their provincial teams than national ones. I think a lot of the people who call Amercica neo-nationalistic forget this fact. In Asia and some European countries, it's the exact opposite - national over provincial. Unfortunately, sometimes this support has jingoistic or even racist overtones. I think support for our Olympic teams has definitely regressed since the end of the Cold War. The only teams that can compete against us are our allies in Europe and South America. It's just not the same. In addition, it's also a lot more difficult to cheer for a bunch of millionaire athletes who are playing more for their sponsors than country.

Over the past decade, I think we've just been completely turned off by this team's lack of preparation, effort, and primadonna attitude. The last USA team that actually played with a lot of heart was the bronze medal winning "replacement" team from '98. I think '06 and last summer were steps in the right direction, but they still have a lot to prove, at least to me. I think the Europeans are starting to display an even worse attitude out on the court. I hope this isn't a trend. Hey, if you're going bash American players for being arrogant in past years, at least be consistent regarding your own players, teams, and coaches. I thought the Spanish head coach's outburst at Larry Brown during the '04 Olympics was a total embarrassment for Spain.

Not really. Just a man who coincidentially owns a Spanish passport frustrated with his team losing an important basketball game. Those millions of other Spainards weren't responsible for that, and they probably didn't feel like they were.

Marc Cuban, a man who coincidentially owns an US passport, obviously hasn't quite understood the mechanics of the sports world.