Women roar at Olympics

There are many individual moments that can be taken from the Olympics that ended earlier this week. The opening and closing ceremonies were spectacular as London got a chance to showcase itself to the world.

Additionally, there were specific performances that grabbed our attention. The men’s basketball team sent a message to the world that the United States is still the dominant nation when it comes to this sport. Swimmer Michael Phelps climaxed his career by staking claim to the title of most prolific athlete in Olympic history. Jamaican runner Usain Bolt also reminded us that he remains the baddest man on the planet when it comes to the 100- and 200-meter dashes.

However, the biggest story (from an American point of view) has to be the performance of the women representing the United States. Women won two-thirds of the gold medals our nation brought home and were the primary reason our country won the most medals.

If it was not for the women, where would we be? Of course, it has not always been this way. Title IX legislation in the 1970s paved the way for women to get more equitable treatment when it came to sports. True, there were women’s sports before that, but their options were more limited.

Women's basketball did not become an official Olympic sport until the 1976 games in Montreal. The women’s marathon did not come until eight years later in Los Angeles. Those are two sports we take for granted now, but the opportunities were not there a generation ago.

Because of this growth, women provided some of the most memorable moments of the London games. The soccer team provided thrills by beating Canada in a controversial semi-final and then gained a measure of revenge against Japan who beat them a year before in the World Cup.

The women's basketball team was as dominant as the men's. The only negative comment I can think of regarding them is that they were coached by Connecticut head coach Geno Auriemma (as a Tennessee grad, he is a little hard to swallow).

And, of course, there were the individual performances. Seventeen-year-old Missy Franklin appears on her way to becoming the new face of American swimming. She won four gold medals and one bronze. With her bubbly personality and unique style, she will likely reap a lot of publicity as the media looks for a new swimming focal point now that Michael Phelps is leaving.

Also, Gabby Douglas caught the world’s attention by becoming the first African-American to win the all-around gold medal in gymnastics. Like Franklin, stardom awaits her.

The emergence of women on the global Olympic stage showed itself in other ways. As hard as this may be to believe, this is the first time all competing nations sent female athletes. Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Brunei sent women athletes for the first time. For those who believe that progress is slow in the United States, consider what the women there must be going through.

We can only imagine where women in those countries could be in 40 years if their nations start showing a commitment to providing athletic opportunities for them. As stated earlier, some Olympic sports that seem common place now were put in place for women only 30 years ago.

For further perspective, I can remember going to basketball games when I was a boy and the girls still were playing the old six-on-six format. Basically, it was a three-on-three format at each end of the court. Looking back, it seems pretty weird, but that was the way it was.

Progress is being shown so let’s continue to encourage the girls and women in our communities.

China a lousy choice to host Olympics

For better or worse, the Olympics remain a premier event on the global sporting landscape.

Every four years, the best athletes from around the world come together to compete for pride, country, and medals.

The event has lost some of its luster in recent years because Olympic organizers have allowed it to become more and more commercialized.

It is no longer as special as it used to be.

Despite this fact, the competition between cities to host the event remains fierce.

Beijing, China, was selected to host the event this summer, which proves once again that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) cares little about how abusive a country is regarding human rights.

Make no mistake, this is all about money. China's population is more than one billion, and the IOC must be absolutely giddy about the opportunity to tap into that market.

However, in doing this, the organization is closing its eyes to the Chinese government's abuse and persecution of its own people.

Recently, the U.S. State Department released its annual report about human rights practices around the world.

The report labeled China as an authoritarian human rights abuser and cited as examples alleged torture of citizens, state control of daily life, and tight control on religion, according to multiple media outlets.

The State Department’s report included details about alleged torture techniques including electric shocks, beatings, and use of shackles. The report included a graphic account of the "tiger bench" form of torture that forces a person's leg to bend sometimes until it is broken.

Of course, reports like this involving China are nothing new. These types of abuses have been known about for years.

Despite this, the IOC rewarded China with the Olympics, and if we know anything about the Olympic stage, it is that it will give the host nation the opportunity to drown the world with propaganda regarding how great their culture is.

Expect no different from the Chinese. The big question is whether or not the world media will have the guts to put the Chinese government under a microscope and provide a well-rounded idea of what it is like in that country.

The answer to that question is not easy because China continually clamps down on freedom of the press.

The selection of China as the host country has generated considerable controversy and some athletes may boycott the event. However, that would be a mistake.

When it comes to sports, boycotts just don't work. In 1980, the United States led a boycott of the summer Olympics that were being held in Moscow.

Though some other countries joined the boycott, it really didn't affect the event.

The Soviet Union and other communist countries retaliated in 1984 when Los Angeles hosted the games, but their presence was not missed.

Of course, the selection of Moscow as an Olympic city was another example of the indifference the IOC has shown through the years toward governments who mistreat their citizens.

The most infamous example of this was when the games were awarded to Berlin in 1936, and Adolf Hitler attempted to exploit the event for propaganda purposes.

However, the great U.S. track star Jesse Owens completely upstaged him by winning four gold medals.

Regarding this year's games, the bottom line is Chinese officials will attempt to exploit the event in a vain attempt to show the world that they really are good guys.

I sure hope the world won't be gullible enough to buy what they are selling.