Professional athletes have had an indelible and profound impact on the Olympic Games for several reasons. The Olympics were built on the notion of rewarding amateur athletes with a platform on which to compete. Professional athletes were prohibited from competition, leaving amateurs to gaze hopefully to the future Olympics as a place where they could shine and be recognized. The professional athletes were already being rewarded for their excellence in sport with handsome paydays and other lucrative endorsement opportunities.
Gone are the days of yore when amateur athletes took to the Games of the Olympiad and were hopeful of victory, gaining a moment on the podium to hear their National Anthem played. Professional athletes have ruined the Olympics for many amateur hopefuls, either by defeating them, or simply by taking precious spots away on the rosters of each country. Professional athletes have impacted the Olympic Games in many different ways, shapes and forms.
Professional athletes have altered the scope of the games, simply by their presence. For example, in sports such as Basketball, rather than having a team of amateurs hoping to honor their country, wanting to relish in the fruits of their labours, the teams are comprised of professionals. The professionals are already playing in the big leagues, and are commanding top dollar for their toils.
The amateur used to be able to take solace in the Olympic Games as their chance to shine. Many amateur athletes work long hours to support the families that they do not get to see because of training schedules as well as work schedules. The grind of the daily routines for amateur athletes is exhausting. Amateur athletes rarely have any sponsorship money to use, and often have to front their own expenses in the venues of training.
The professional athletes have also given the Olympic Games some credibility in certain sports, prompting viewership on television to rise, which benefits the Games financially. The underdog teams rarely come out on top, since teams such as the U.S.A. team are comprised of the best players in the world.
Amateur athletes cannot typically compete with professional athletes for many obvious reasons, and their chance to shine is relegated to sports without professional involvement. The days of teams such as the 'Miracle on Ice' team are long gone. The Olympic hockey teams are now comprised of professionals, and the National Hockey League even takes a hiatus so that players may compete for their countries of origin.
The Olympic Games were originally intended for amateurs, but have shifted over and allowed professionals to participate. This does allow for the best of each country to represent their homeland. In that regard, I suppose that that is what the Olympics are all about. Each country would love to send their finest athletes to compete in every event, in hopes of garnering some medals and instilling in their people a sense of national pride.
It is a sign of the times that professionals are allowed to compete in the Olympics, and as long as the best man or woman wins, it is fair for every country to allow their best athletes to perform. Unfortunately for the amateur athletes, big business rears its ugly head and takes away another thing from those not among the elite in society.
As the 2010 Olympic Games draw to a close, we, as a collective audience, can hope for some underdog victories in the upcoming 2012 Olympic Games, cheering for all of the David's against those Goliath's that oppress.