For the love of the Games!

The summer Olympics has always been a hallowed event in Yard evolution. The Olympics are a quadrennial celebration of athleticism and team work. It is the only time that the Yard is fully engaged with archery, skeet shooting and cycling. When we see that ESPN has professional lacrosse on, we know the Olympics are on five other channels. The stories create the legends that become the history of these great games. Founder Pierre de Coubertin originated the idea and felt the Olympics could instill national pride and the cooperation of the world's nations may promote peace and prevent conflict. It sounded good on paper. Those first games in Athens in 1896 were almost derailed because Greece was in the midst of political and financial turmoil. We are pleased that the Greeks have but that behind them. So as these hallowed games open to the world, here in America we would respectfully request that the partisan rhetoric stand down on the Olympics. The Olympics celebrate great athleticism and teamwork. The American political parties never celebrate team work and athleticism is limited to stone throwing and back biting. We were surprised by the outrage by Nevada Senator Harry Reid about Ralph Lauren not using an American company to make the US uniforms. A Democratic PAC ran a political advertisement this week that ran footage of Mitt Romney at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics while a narrator threw stones about jobs to China, money to Switzerland and blah, blah. Romney attended the Olympics to fluff his International feathers and every comment he makes has been under attack by the Obama regime. Probably because Barry had to stay home while Mich got to go the big dance in Air Force One with the girls. He might not have another chance to go on our dime and he might be a bit pissy. The attacks on Ralph Lauren’s decision to have US uniforms made in China are ridiculous. Uniforms for many industries are made in China and overseas every day for every major apparel manufacturer. Nike, Reebok, Adidas and all of the major sporting goods vendors produce their products outside the US for sale in the US. The outrage seemed to continue this partisan mantra about outsourcing jobs from the US. The US Olympic Committee is self-funded. The USOC does employ American personnel but it is different than the US government. The USOC has a budget that they have to stay within to operate. There are over 550 US athletes on the team with multiple uniforms and outfits. Putting the best team in London within budget is their goal and objective not subsidizing US apparel manufacturing woes. Buying 500+ uniforms from a US company is not going to save this economy. Hell, $666 billion spent on freeways could not get it done. Those that would chose to politicize that non-issue are the problem not the USOC for conserving resources for the athletes. Two of the cornerstones of Mitt’s resume are his time with Bain Capital and his stewardship of the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic Games. Bain Capital, offshore accounts, and sketchy but legal tax returns are a bit too much for the Yard to bother dissecting. We not only do not have the skill, we do not have the interest. Bain Capital might be an example of what is wrong with the country but it is also an example of what is right. The attacks about Romney’s stewardship of the SLC games are surprising. The Olympics are special and anyone who volunteers to step in and take all of the risks with little upside is to be commended not attacked. The SLC games could have been a massive financial fiasco that Romney had nothing to do with until it was uncovered. Mitt came to the party when the feces were already in full spew from the fan. It was toxic and messy. Romney hoped for some political upside but the risks were enormous. The 2002 SLC Olympics were almost bankrupt in December 1999. Mitt is one of Utah’s tribe so he did have a higher calling. Salt Lake City had tried unsuccessfully to host the 1998 games that went to Nagano, Japan. It was rumored at the time that Nagano “wined and dined” the IOC delegates more aggressively than SLC to the tune of $4.4 million. Dave Johnson and Tom Welch lead the SLC Nomination Committee and they set their sights and their wallets on the 2002 games. They immediately sent Stetsons to all members of the IOC nomination committee. They made numerous trips all over the world racking up dinners and courting the votes. What started with cowboy hats morphed into all inclusive ski trips, thirteen college scholarships, plastic surgery, Super Bowl tickets and cash! They were very effective and SLC was awarded the 2002 games. Three years later an IOC whistle blower outed the financial misdeeds of his associates and the generosity of Messrs. Welch and Johnson. The leaders of the SLC OC resigned almost immediately in disgrace. Ten members of the IOC were relieved of their duties and ten others were sanctioned. It was the first and still the worst scandal in over 100 years of the IOC. The sanctity of the Olympics had been denigrated to a solicitous sleazy side show. Sponsors ran towards the exits and the cash to finance the games dried up. The SLC OC had planned a $1.1 billion budget that quickly spiraled into a $379 million budget shortfall. The Mittster was raking in his millions at Bain. However they were doing it, they were doing well. Romney could have kept on taking home large paychecks within the financial cocoon he had created for himself and his family. But he resigned his day to day duties at Bain and returned to the Mother Land to attempt to right the Olympic ship. He does not get all of the credit for “saving” the Olympics but he was the very public face of that effort. There a lot of work to be done, disgraced organizers to be replaced, financing to find, lobbying in Washington and attempt to woo sponsors back. The image of those games had stepped off a cliff and no one was getting back up the hill without scrapes and bruises if at all. The games could have easily gone down into a financial abyss that the Montreal games did in 1976. It took Canada thirty years to pay of the $1.5 billion deficit from their games making their last payment in December 2006. The SLC games turned a profit of $40 million when the snow melted in the spring of 2002. That original endowment still funds the upkeep of the Olympic facilities in Salt Lake to this day. The Yard is not a Mitt Romney shill but we do get outraged when the President and his cronies are taking political pot shots using the Olympics as the back drop. The accusations are barely credible or relevant. So as they in London-“Piss off!” Overtime: USADA dogged pursuit of Lance Armstrong is also troubling. By all accounts Mr. Armstrong is allegedly an arrogant prick and many would be happy to see his reputation sullied. The USADA may think it is their mission to chase Lance Armstrong to his grave to recover the seven Tour de France medals he won. They may feel it is important to taint a man who has raised millions and millions of dollars for cancer research. The USADA feels entitled that they are doing the right thing in pursuing their current myopic effort to take down the evil Lance. The Yard feels the same way about Lance as we do about Clemens. It is impossible to imagine that Lance of the one testicle beat all comers seven times while every single challenger was busted for cheating with both of their balls. Yard sense feels that the USDA pursuit is motivated by this current economic crisis. The USADA is not a non-profit or for profit it is US government funded 110%. When municipalities are declaring bankruptcy, entitlements are strangling all levels of government an agency whose mission is to chase wealthy athletes and take away their ill-gotten rewards would seem to be the first cut of any budget. The USADA has to keep in the headlines pursuing high profile, attention getting cases or they might lose their funding. As a nation, do we have time and budget for such endeavors? It is like the arts. It makes sense to fund when there are surpluses but not when people are losing their homes and their livelihoods. We all want to keep steroids away from our children and we should. That is the job of parents and international federations not the US government. Yard Notes: Yardiot Sam wanted all readers to know that Northern Illinois Huskies have the longest current winning streak in D1 football. They have won nine in a row and face Iowa in their home opener at Soldier Field September 1.