Posted: Feb 13, 2018 2:53 pm
Crocodile Gandhi wrote:
Because nobody growing up playing football or tennis says "What I really want is to win an olympic gold medal". Aside from anything else, the football is a farce because it's an under 23 competition. There's no footballer who would rather win an olympic gold than a world cup. Hell, there's no footballer who would rather win an olympic gold than the Champion's League.
Same argument for tennis. Every tennis player would rather win a grand slam tournament than an olympic gold. Federer has never won a gold medal in the singles at the Olympics but no one takes that into consideration when considering his greatness.
I'm sure all the athletes who win gold in the tennis or football are proud as punch to get it, but they'd happily trade it in for the bigger honours in their sport.
I agree. An Olympic gold medal should 1) mean you have beaten the best in the world at your sport and 2) be the highest honour in your sport. Tennis and football/soccer do not qualify. Neither does men's ice hockey, anymore, either. But there is no equivalent to soccer's World Cup where the best players of each country compete, so might as well keep it.