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What's in and what's out
Posted: Wednesday April 05, 2000 01:16 PM
Another smattering of questions from all corners, so let's dig right in. Remember to keep those questions coming! We're now less than six months from the Games. During the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, I was one of the small band of subscribers to the Triplecast. It was without question the most interesting sports television I've ever seen -- largely unmediated by commentators, showing early heats, etc. Since there were actually three channels, without ads, it was the equivalent for political junkies of getting C-SPAN 1, 2 and 3. One of its great benefits was that viewers could develop attachments to athletes and sports that never remotely breach the jingoistic sphere of American network coverage (not to mention being able to watch events live). I can guess the answer on this one, but have you heard any interest in reviving a concept of this kind?
In my pre-SI days I actually wrote for the Triplecast. Three of us churned out copy for six NBC studio announcers ( Don Criqui, Gayle Gardner, Dan Hicks, Hannah Storm, Kathleen Sullivan and Ahmad Rashad ), and it was no problem getting at least, oh, about two hours of sleep most nights. Those of us who worked on the Triplecast and saw what we accomplished with our resources were very proud of the product. If you were a fan of Olympic sports rather than just Olympic spectacle, it was an easy purchase. There were no commercials, as you said, and the announcers always assumed the sort of knowledge on the part of viewers that those broadcasting baseball, football or basketball would. Even so, the broadcasts were huge money-losers for NBC, because not enough fans subscribed. For that reason you shouldn't expect to see another commercial-free broadcast like that again. There will be cable coverage on MSNBC (weekdays 10 a.m.-5 p.m. ET) and CNBC (weekdays 5-9 p.m. ET) in addition to the network's coverage, so look for that if you have either channel. A few years ago I had the pleasure of playing team handball. I know it's an Olympic sport, but the anemic coverage makes it impossible to follow. Who are the favorites in Sydney? How good is the U.S. squad?
Unfortunately, neither the U.S. men nor the U.S. women qualified for the Sydney Games. Both teams could have earned a berth by placing high at their respective world championships (top eight for men, top six for women), but failed to do so. They each had a second chance to earn Olympic berths as the Americas regional qualifiers by winning the Pan-Am Games last August in Winnipeg, but both U.S. teams finished fourth. The 12-team men's field consists of Australia, Cuba, Egypt, France, Germany, Russia, Slovenia, Spain, South Korea, Sweden, Tunisia and Yugoslavia. The favorites should be the Swedes and Russians, who met in the finals of the most recent world and European championships, with Sweden winning both times. The 10-team women's field includes Angola, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Denmark, France, Hungary, Norway, Romania and South Korea. I am really excited to see surfing in the Olympics. It's about time that the sport, which requires an extreme amount of skill, is included in the Games. The problem is it's getting very little, if any, publicity. Who is scheduled to compete? Also, what breaks will be surfed, and when? What happens if there is no surf on a particular day -- can the contest be rescheduled? And what do you think the television coverage will be like for the event?
Sorry, but you may have been misinformed about the surfing, which will not be on the Olympic program in Sydney. The international governing body for surfing is recognized by the International Olympic Committee, however, and does receive limited financial support from it. The same is true for governing bodies that oversee ballroom dancing, rugby, billiards and bowling. I want to know if Mary Slaney or Amy Van Dyken will be competing in Sydney, and if so what are the odds of either getting a medal?
Slaney is retired now. Although athletes often re-emerge from the woods at Olympic trials in various sports, I have heard nothing about Slaney planning to compete at the U.S. trials in August. Van Dyken, on the other hand, is back training despite undergoing two shoulder operations in the last two years, the most recent on Jan. 4 to remove scar tissue from around her right rotator cuff. She recently moved from the national team's training center in Colorado Springs, where she has worked with Jonty Skinner since 1994, to Fort Collins, Colo. There are three reasons for the move: First, Van Dyken will be able to train with John Mattos, her mentor from her days at Colorado State; she'll join her sister Katie, a junior at CSU; and she'll be closer to her rehabilitation center at the Denver Broncos Sports Medicine Clinic in nearby Englewood (Van Dyken is engaged to Broncos punter Tom Rouen ). Look for her at the Olympic swim trials in Indianapolis, Aug. 9-16. I'd like to know the status of golf in the Olympics. This sport is steeped in the division of amateurs and professionals, making it an ideal event in the amateur-friendly Olympics compared to other professional-dominated events. Why is there no talk of including what would be a very popular event?
Golf is not currently being considered for inclusion into the Olympic program. It was a medal sport at the 1900 Paris Olympics and 1904 St. Louis Games, but not since. The gold medalist in Paris, oddly enough, was an American with the golfing-friendly last name of Sands. Golf's limited appeal became apparent four years later when all three team medals were won by American club teams. (In those days countries could have more than one team in a given sport.) There was some support for reintroducing golf at the Atlanta Games if the event could be held on the Masters course at Augusta. Golf is no longer a game with limited geographic appeal, and it is certainly more accessible to the masses than it was at the turn of the last century. But at a time when the IOC is trying to keep the number of athletes at a Summer Games to a manageable 10,000, it will be harder for new sports to join the fray. Do you think that Michael Bennett of the Wisconsin track team (who has already set records in the Big Ten) should be going to the Olympics in 2000? I feel that he should have a chance.
Bennett's dual talents as Badgers sprinter and tailback made him Big Ten athlete of the year, but it's a big leap to earn a spot on the Olympic team. Right now there are too many people ahead of him for him to be considered a realistic threat to earn an Olympic berth. Still, he's only 21, and I would hold out greater hopes for him in 2004. I would Like to know if you feel that the athletes from the Bahamas will win the 4x100-meter relay.
I assume you're asking about the women's team from the Bahamas, which will clearly be one of the favorites in Sydney. The quartet of Sevatheda Fynes, Chandra Sturrup, Pauline Davis-Thompson and Debbie Ferguson pulled a big surprise at the Worlds last summer in Seville, but keep in mind that an injured Marion Jones was unavailable to the United States for that final. I'd also look out for the French and a young and improving Jamaican team. The Russians and Germans are longshots for a bronze medal. I've heard it said that at every Olympic Games you have a personal tradition which you must complete before you leave the Olympic host city. What is it that you do, and why?
Personal traditions are supposed to remain personal, but since you asked ... I like to find a way to run a lap around each of the main stadia in which Olympics are held. It doesn't have to be during the actual Olympics. I ran once around the track in Atlanta during the Olympic track and field trials a month before the '96 Games. The trick is to revisit all the remaining Olympic stadia, since some have been torn down. Places like the stadium in Stockholm, where Jim Thorpe won his gold medals in 1912, and Munich, site of the '72 Games, are open to the public and often used for training or jogging. Wembley Stadium in London, site of the '48 Games, conducts regular tours when events aren't taking place. The dicey one for me was the one in Amsterdam, which hasn't had much upkeep since the 1928 Games were held there. I sort of, well, skipped over a fence to do my lap. No harm, no foul. I know of two other journalists who have since started the same tradition. We'll have to check the scoreboard. Of course, my tradition is tamer than the one some athletes observe: stealing a flag from the Olympic Village. Australian swim legend Dawn Fraser, who (my guess) will probably be chosen to light the torch at the Opening Ceremonies in Sydney, was part of a group caught trying to steal a flag from the Emperor's palace at the 1964 Tokyo Games. She received a 10-year suspension (later commuted to four years) for the indiscretion, effectively ending her career. I think I would recommend the more familiar tradition of pin trading. Sports Illustrated writer-reporter Brian Cazeneuve is the magazine's resident Olympics guru. He'll answer your questions on the first Wednesday of each month leading into Sydney. Click here to send him a question.
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