newfette newfette:
I agree with not having NHL players play in the Olympics but for different reasons. no other sport allows professional athleats except basketball (dont agree with that either) to compete in the olympics so why should someone who gets paid MILLIONS to play a game be able to compete in amature competition.
Besides hockey and basketball soccer is the only other professional sport of consequence that is in the Olympics. Unlike hockey and basketball there are waaaaay too many professional soccer leagues to try and coordinate to allow them to play in the Olympics. Hockey players throughout the world want to play in the NHL. Basketball players throughout the world want to play in the NBA. There is no one league that soccer players throughout the world want to play in.
As for professional athletes playing in the Olympics: It's suppose to be a competition of the world's best. Not allowing professional athletes to compete cheapens Olympic medals because the person who wins a medal didn't actually beat the world's best, they only beat every other countries second rate players because the best players were not allowed to compete.