Now that the 2014 Winter Olympic games in Sochi are over, the media will publish the final count of the medals won by participating countries. Let us now also look at medal counts from a more meaningful and consequential perspective. On the surface, the USA with 28 medals is second only to Russia with 33 medals. Not bad. But it is also true that 28 medals for a population of 318 million (2013) means one medal for every 11,342,357 Americans. Seen from this perspective, a tiny country like Norway with only 5.1 million people and 26 medals (not to mention more gold than Americans), would mean a medal for every 197,565 Norwegians. The same is true for the Netherlands with 6.3 million population and 24 medals, which translates to a medal for every 263,103 citizens of that country. In North America, Canada's 35.2 million citizens and 25 medals translates to a medal for every 1,406,332 Canadians. One consequence of the medal counts as seen from this perspective is that the Canadians are roughly 8 times more, the Norwegians about 57 times more likely to produce a top-notch winter athlete than Americans. Even the hard-drinking and economically less-well-off Russians are some 2.6 times more productive than Americans.
It is true that the USA does produce athletes in some categories, for example football, bowling, golf, auto racing, that are not universally recognized as athletics, though, of course, many football players, especially running backs, wide receivers, safeties and corners, are quite athletic, though not specifically in winter sports. (By the same token, one can question why and how curling and sled riding qualify as Olympic athletic events.) It is also true that the majority of American athletes cater to sports where they can make lots of money. On the other hand, this too is not a sure bet, as we have seen with the American hockey team. Take away the foreigners from the professional teams, it would seem that the best of native American hockey players qualify only as a fourth rate team, so much so that one wonders how the American men's team would do against Canadian women's team, for example--hard checking not allowed. Yes, the men would likely win, but would the score be much worse than the men's 5-0 loss to Finland? if not necessarily, then perhaps hockey could become the first uni-sex competition included in Winter Olympics or as occasional challenge.
I am not surprised that a people who grow up in winter wonderland produce more than their fair share of champions on ice, snow, etc. with blades on their feet or other devices to navigate frozen conditions. Indeed, it would be surprising if they didn't. Nor am I surprised that in countries that give enormous rewards to athletes whose prowess in games that are popular to the viewing public turn most of their young people into players of children's games that have great payoffs for the few that make it to the top...indeed, I would be surprised if they didn't. Those of us that were smart enough to know that we would never be good enough to make it to the top...or who's visit to frozen conditions was rare and expensive, wasted little time on either.
ReplyDeleteI was not comparing winter athletes in Norway to those in Jamaica. The USA has as much "winter wonderland" area as Nordic Europe and more population occupying that area. Even if one excludes Southern USA and other parts that do not qualify, what I said is still true, except that Norway is not 57 times more likely to produce top-notch winter athletes, but maybe only about 20 times than the USA. However, I am not sure I understand WHY your comment that you are not surprised that in countries that give enormous rewards to athletes whose prowess in games that are popular to the viewing public . . . does NOT include the USA. We give enormous sums to professional ice hockey players, where the native American players came out 4th rate in the Olympics. And in 2002, I made a similar comparison between the medals for summer athletes, where Australia was on top by a large margin. That the difference must be cultural and/or in lifestyle or something else is beside the point. The conclusion that many other countries produce better top-notch athletes is the point. That stands.
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