Interesting quote regarding Olympics.

[thatshortguy]

ESPN.com article.

While most of us will be sidetracked concerning the fact that eight Olympic participants will be posing for Playboy, the part of the article that particularly caught my attention was this quote from Amy Acuff:

"One of the biggest misconceptions is that every athlete is 100 percent serious about being there. A number of athletes in the Village -- people who know they don't have a chance -- are there to have a party."

Very intriguing quote, considering that these folks are sent to represent their countries. Have the Olympics become that much of an unimportant collection of sideshows? I would tend to think so, but at the same time, aren't these games supposed to be some of the most important sporting events in the world?

Discusseth this, or discusseth the whole Playboy situation. Either way, discuss!

[TheArsenal]

I think it's more likely that there are some people who just know they aren't going to win. Therefore, when they get to this event, that they know they have no chance of winning, they just live it up and enjoy the experience for all they can.

It's like when Jamaica got to the 1998 World Cup in France.

[Hellfire]

The athletes most likely figure that they dont have a chance, so they might as well have a good time in a country as beautiful as greece. As for the playboy thing, eh, its not really important to me, but some people might care about that.

[gunnar hendershow]

The ones with a chance give it their all, but there are plenty who just party and take in the whole experience. I'm not that annoyed by it myself.