The Winter Olympics, A Dying Proposition

[Frisco_Slug_Esq]

Joseph Finlay

The current 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada presents a confluence of sport, civilization, and pageantry -- all of which, upon reflection, are uniquely Western. With the notable exceptions of a few winter sports-loving Asian nations like Japan, South Korea, and China -- nations that have to varying degrees opened to Western technology -- the Winter Olympics have historically been a showcase for the northern nations of Europe, North America, and the former Soviet Union.

Whereas the Summer Olympics dwarfs the sister Winter games in terms of worldwide participation and popular interest, the Winter Olympics features sports that necessitate freezing-temperature playing fields and national training programs -- the Jamaican bobsled team notwithstanding -- that would be hard to implement or sustain in most of the populated world, where athletic development and training consists of kicking first a can, and later a soccer ball.

Winter sports such as figure skating, luge, downhill skiing, or speed skating also face an inherent "brain drain" as the events have become "niche" sports that require dedicated parents, money, proximity to snow-capped mountains, and a close-to-year-round Arctic climate in order for a young hopeful to one day compete on the Olympic stage. Liberal notions of equalized outcomes, equality at all costs, and an imposed level playing field take a beating here, as no amount of social engineering is likely to increase the odds of a tropical climate nation becoming a fixture on the Winter Olympic medal stand. Most of the world is probably OK with that fact.

Not to be outdone, a global warmist might also be tempted to add that the Winter Olympics faces a terminal prognosis due to snow melt and climate change. He would be only half-right: the Winter Olympics in the not-so-distant future may face a death sentence, but the reason has nothing to do with a lack of snow, or even waning public interest or corporate sponsor money. The actual diagnosis is as simple as it is pernicious:

The Winter Olympics nations are dying.

Consider the top eight Winter Olympic medal-winning nations since 1924: Norway, Russia, the USA, Austria, Germany, Finland, Canada, and Sweden. These nations have spawned the lion's share of great figure skaters, hockey players, alpine skiers, and downhill legends, while serving as host nations on numerous occasions. These same countries also share another dubious honor. If there were a medal count for "lowest birth rates in the world," the Winter Olympics bloc nations would just as certainly sweep the gold, silver, and bronze.

... continued at The American Thinker

 

[Saint Peter]

You could not just copy and paste the whole article for us?


F.R.

 

[Frisco_Slug_Esq]

You could not just copy and paste the whole article for us?


F.R.

That's illegal...



Petey, if you're not part of the solution (you grumpy ol' ID [that's why Obama is just Pres__dent, Rahm is his id]), you're part of the problem. Go knock up a white chick...

 

[Saint Peter]

That's illegal...



Petey, if you're not part of the solution (you grumpy ol' ID [that's why Obama is just Pres__dent, Rahm is his id]), you're part of the problem. Go knock up a white chick...

White chicks? Who can put up with those?


Except Tiger. And OJ.

 

[Frisco_Slug_Esq]

*chuckle*




Even Kelly LeBrock's shit got old, eh..

 

[firespin]

The birthrate comment not only makes no sense, it's not even accurate. Sheesh.

It's like something AJ would say

 

[Songcatcher]

Destroyed by design.

Systems are put in places so that parents can't afford to raise many children.

e.g. TAX

 

[Frisco_Slug_Esq]

It's who is involved more than anything. With declining prosperity form Democratic Socialism, how many of them will have to cut frills for NHC?




How many Mexicans want to mogul, curl and luge?

 

[firespin]

How many Mexicans want to mogul, curl and luge?

Just as well. There's no track time for them anyway.

They'll just have to practice sliding under the wire some other way.

 

[Frisco_Slug_Esq]

I don't see us running out of Kenyan runners...




... all sorts of reasons for Africans to be running...

 

[off2bed]

There were lots of Afghan and Iranian figure skaters and curlers, but they got blown up.