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OT/ Would you play for a different....
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joec32033
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Given how we have seen a few American athlete's compete with foreign teams this Olympics, i.e. Becky Hammon, Chris Kaman, I could have swore there was another women's basketball player too, I present you with this question.... Would you compete on a foreign country's team if they invited you to play on their Olympic team?
8 votes
47.06%
Yes
9 votes
52.94%
No


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TMS
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8/22/2008  1:23 AM
if i were an athlete, i would only compete on the country of my birth if it wasn't for the US... of course that's easy for me to say now, i don't have some country offering me a ton of money to compete for them... just seems like a complete sellout move but it would be hard to refuse a big lump of cheese if it were there in front of you.
After 7 years & 40K+ posts, banned by martin for calling Nalod a 'moron'. Awesome.
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Cartman718
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8/22/2008  9:36 AM
a chance to compete in the olympics hell yes doesnt matter for which country.
Nixluva is posting triangle screen grabs, even when nobody asks - Fishmike. LOL So are we going to reference that thread like the bible now? "The thread of Wroten Page 14 post 9" - EnySpree
Andrew
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8/22/2008  9:42 AM
As a fan I don't like it. But...if I were a top level athelete with one chance to play in the olympics, I would probably do it.
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Swishfm3
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8/22/2008  10:11 AM
If my country doesn't think I'm good enough to represent them, but another one does and willing to throw some dough on top of that, I would do it.

but I would only consider playing for just one country, other that the US, and thats the Dominican Republic (my parents place of birth)
mikesknicks
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8/22/2008  11:17 AM
This is why other country HATE the United States. What player from another country is playing for the USA???? None! Not for any amount of money! Money is one of the biggest problems here with people that have it and people that need it.
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mattshaw78
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8/22/2008  11:24 AM
our problem is that we as a country thinnk we are all high and mighty. We try to be the world police but all we do is step on people's toes. And we play all this money to support other countries while we have a deficit up the ying yang.
BlueSeats "I like anyone who can make Lebron cry. Melo seems to do it a lot."
Andrew
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8/22/2008  11:42 AM
Posted by mikesknicks:

This is why other country HATE the United States. What player from another country is playing for the USA???? None! Not for any amount of money! Money is one of the biggest problems here with people that have it and people that need it.

I'm not sure what you are getting at here. People play for other contries (I'm generalizing) for the opportunity to participate in the Olympics when they would not normally be able to for their own contry. I do believe that the US has had atheletes become citizens and paticipate in prior Olympics and in 2008.


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Bippity10
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8/22/2008  11:51 AM
I'm with TMS: It's tough to say what I would do because I'm never going to be in that situation. As a fan I think you can play in the country of your birth or the country of current citizenship. I say no to playing for the country of your father's, sister's uncle.
I just hope that people will like me
Nalod
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8/22/2008  1:22 PM

I don't begrudge any player who plays for another country. It happens all the time both here and abroad.

Kaman just wants to play ball. Its not like he is being political about it.

Athletes just want to play.

ramtour420
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8/22/2008  2:36 PM
What are u talkin about ppl from other countries don't play for US ? America IS ppl from other countries. I mean i don't follow it that closely but seems like every other "US" athlete in Olympics is from another country. That girl that won the overall gold in gymnastics has russian first and last name. Her dna is russian, dunno about her mom but her dad is as russian as they get. Yeah, that swimmer dude with 8 golds is american no doubt but there are more foreign medalists on american team than any other i bet.
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TMS
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8/22/2008  3:30 PM
Posted by Andrew:
Posted by mikesknicks:

This is why other country HATE the United States. What player from another country is playing for the USA???? None! Not for any amount of money! Money is one of the biggest problems here with people that have it and people that need it.

I'm not sure what you are getting at here. People play for other contries (I'm generalizing) for the opportunity to participate in the Olympics when they would not normally be able to for their own contry. I do believe that the US has had atheletes become citizens and paticipate in prior Olympics and in 2008.

i dunno but when i see a blonde haired blue eyed athlete competing for Zimbabwe in the Olympics it sorta raises a few red flags in my eyes... not that there's no blonde blue eyed citizens of Zimbabwe out there but u get my point... if that athlete has been living in that country for a while & has officially established residency & citizenship there, i have no problem w/it... but just randomly looking for any country to sponsor you because you can't cut the mustard in your own country is kinda lame if u ask me.
After 7 years & 40K+ posts, banned by martin for calling Nalod a 'moron'. Awesome.
Andrew
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8/22/2008  3:37 PM
Posted by TMS:

but just randomly looking for any country to sponsor you because you can't cut the mustard in your own country is kinda lame if u ask me.

Well....its not always that simple. Take for example Beach Volleyball. Each country gets a maximum of 2 teams to participate. So, the third ranked team from Brazil got Georgian passports, qualified and went to the Olympics. Otherwise they would not have had a chance to participate even though they were a top 10 team in the world. Sometimes its the system that is not entirely fair. They ended up taking a 4th....just missing out on a medal.

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TMS
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8/22/2008  3:45 PM
Posted by Andrew:
Posted by TMS:

but just randomly looking for any country to sponsor you because you can't cut the mustard in your own country is kinda lame if u ask me.

Well....its not always that simple. Take for example Beach Volleyball. Each country gets a maximum of 2 teams to participate. So, the third ranked team from Brazil got Georgian passports, qualified and went to the Olympics. Otherwise they would not have had a chance to participate even though they were a top 10 team in the world. Sometimes its the system that is not entirely fair. They ended up taking a 4th....just missing out on a medal.

when i think of the Olympics i think of the best athletes from each country coming to represent their nations... not the best athletes in the world who look for any way to get in even under the flags of nations they don't even live in or have any ancestral linkage to... that's just me... i wouldn't want to see NBA stars who didn't make the Dream Team going & signing w/other nations for money to represent them, it would strike me as a pure sellout move & IMO contradicts the whole idea behind the Olympics to begin with... the 3rd Brazil team going to the games under Georgia's flag is pretty much the same thing... if they're not the best in their own country then really i don't want to see them there... i'd rather see some scrubs from Georgia there proud to represent their country even tho they got no chance at all of a medal... sometimes it's those types of athletes that make me appreciate the Olympics that much more... the athletes who are just happy to be there representing their countries & giving it their all in front of a world stage... as corny as it may sound, IMO the whole commercialism & flag hopping that goes on takes away from that aspect of the Olympic spirit.
After 7 years & 40K+ posts, banned by martin for calling Nalod a 'moron'. Awesome.
Bonn1997
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8/22/2008  4:39 PM
Posted by TMS:
Posted by Andrew:
Posted by mikesknicks:

This is why other country HATE the United States. What player from another country is playing for the USA???? None! Not for any amount of money! Money is one of the biggest problems here with people that have it and people that need it.

I'm not sure what you are getting at here. People play for other contries (I'm generalizing) for the opportunity to participate in the Olympics when they would not normally be able to for their own contry. I do believe that the US has had atheletes become citizens and paticipate in prior Olympics and in 2008.

i dunno but when i see a blonde haired blue eyed athlete competing for Zimbabwe in the Olympics it sorta raises a few red flags in my eyes... not that there's no blonde blue eyed citizens of Zimbabwe out there but u get my point... if that athlete has been living in that country for a while & has officially established residency & citizenship there, i have no problem w/it... but just randomly looking for any country to sponsor you because you can't cut the mustard in your own country is kinda lame if u ask me.
I don't blame the athlete. But I don't think the olympics should allow countries to buy foreign athletes.
metra
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8/22/2008  5:08 PM
I agree with TMS here. The point of the Olympics is for each country to send their best athletes, no loopholes.

Best athletes from EACH COUNTRY, not from the entire world.

Otherwise, basketball would just be Americans playing for China, Russia, Australia, Argentina, Spain, etc.

Now how silly would that be?

People like Becky Hammon are turning the Olymipcs into a sham. I think it's something the IOC should look into for 2010.
Bippity10
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8/22/2008  6:15 PM
My opinion is simple. You are either born there or have citizenship there. Otherwise you aren't from there. Otherwise it's just a bunch of ringers.
I just hope that people will like me
Andrew
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8/22/2008  9:16 PM
tms....i agree. as i said, i dont like it as a fan, but understand it from an athletes perspective.
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Pharzeone
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8/23/2008  12:39 AM
Posted by Bippity10:

My opinion is simple. You are either born there or have citizenship there. Otherwise you aren't from there. Otherwise it's just a bunch of ringers.

I think having citizenship is already a requirement. All participants must have citizenship of the country they are playing for. I think the new rule going forward is that an athlete will not be allowed to ever play for one country and then play for another. The US is very guilty of that this year and years past.
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Cartman718
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8/23/2008  12:10 PM
Posted by Bippity10:

My opinion is simple. You are either born there or have citizenship there. Otherwise you aren't from there. Otherwise it's just a bunch of ringers.

i have dual citizenship. so where does that put athletes in that situation.
Nixluva is posting triangle screen grabs, even when nobody asks - Fishmike. LOL So are we going to reference that thread like the bible now? "The thread of Wroten Page 14 post 9" - EnySpree
Bonn1997
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8/23/2008  12:32 PM
Posted by Pharzeone:
Posted by Bippity10:

My opinion is simple. You are either born there or have citizenship there. Otherwise you aren't from there. Otherwise it's just a bunch of ringers.

I think having citizenship is already a requirement. All participants must have citizenship of the country they are playing for. I think the new rule going forward is that an athlete will not be allowed to ever play for one country and then play for another. The US is very guilty of that this year and years past.
It seems like that's not much of a requirement, though, because every country has different requirements for citizenship. Some might require having spent very little (if any!) time living in the country, which is basically like handing out free citizenship cards to any athlete who will play for you. There should be a minimum of something like 10 years of residence in the country IMO. The idea about playing for only one country is not bad also, though.
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