All ProSports

Anquan Boldin part of the talented wide receiving duo in the dessert of Arizona stated that he wants out of Arizona. Citing a non- existent relationship with head coach Ken Whisenhunt and contract issues.

For his part Whisenhunt seems to have no idea what Boldin is refferring to saying that, “We’ve been communicating if communicating is talking, that’s what we have been doing at practice. As we go forward, I don’t know. I don’t foresee anything changing. If it does, it’s in his court.”

With training camp rapidly coming to a conclusion the wideout mad eit sound like the last few weeks have been pure hell for him. He opened up training camp by calling out the franchises front office, saying that they reneged on an offer to re-negotiate his contract.

Boldin wants out of Arizona.

The situation seems to have evolved from thecsizeable contract the Cards handed to WR Larry Fitzgerald who signed a four-year $40 million, deal after last season, with $30 million guaranteed. Obviously Boldin feels, he is underpaid and under aprreciated by his current team.

He has three years left on the four-year, $22.75 million extension he signed after the 2005 season that keeps him under contract through 2010. He’s making an average of $4 million a year.

Boldin is one of the most talented wideouts in the NFL. He became the fastest player to reach 400 career receptions when he topped the mark just 67 games into his career.In his five NFL seasons Boldin has 413 receptions for 5,458 yards and 29 touchdowns.

Yet, if Boldin is so concerned about what he is being paid then maybe he shouldn’t have signed that contract extension in 2005 that gaves him his current salary rate. And although Boldin has stated that he feels that Fitzgerald earned his contract its fairl obvious that had Fitzgerald not gotten such a sizeable pay increase Boldin would not feel like he was being” mis-treated” bv the team.  It probably doesn’t help the situation that his agent is Drew Rosenhaus either who seems to encourage this type of behavior from his players.

What does Boldin expect to happen? Does he actually believe that the Cardinals are going to trade one of their most valuable offensive players right before the seasons begins? Apparently not, as even Boldin himself was quoted as saying that he doesn’t believe their will be a solution to the standoff.

The Cardinals have also stated that they have little interest in dealing the stud reciever at this time, especially considering he is under contract until the 2010 season.

There are of course a number of teams around the league that could use the services of Boldin. The Philadelhpia Eagles seem to be keenly interested in acquiring a receiver especially considering the injury to their number one wideout Kevin Curtis, which could sideline him for 6-8 weeks.

A player for player trade would be the most likely of possibilties and if the Cardinals decide to change their minds and deal Boldin it could be for an Eagles defensive back like Lito Sheppard or something along those lines.

IN all likely hood Boldin will have to reamin a Cardinal at least for the remainder of this season and try to work out a deal for himself during the offseason.

Both women said that they had dreamed of finishing one,two in the Olympics they just weren’t sure in what order that would dream would occur.

Well, now they know and it was the surprising Nastia Liukin who claimed the gold medal, while world champion Shawn johnson won the silver, and China’s Yang Yilin taking home the bronze despite the allegations that continue to swirl about her age.

Nastia Liukin, Shawn Johnson and Yang Yilin display their Olympic hardware.

There are no doubts about the validity of Liukin’s age. The 18 year old daughter of 4-time Olympic medalist Valeri Liukin and Anna Kotchneva who was a world champion rhythmic gymnast, proved her pedigree throughout the all-around competition.

Despite having start values that were below that of Johnson’s, Nastia proved the more perfect gymnast on that day sticking her landings on three out of the four apparatuses and performing beautifully throughout. Meanwhile Johnson, the favorite heading into the competition, made some small missteps that cost her a shot at gold.

With the floor exercise coming last in the competition Nastia Liukin was once again perfect, creating a lead too great for Shawn Johnson to overcome and claiming the gold medal by more then 6-tenths of a point.

Liukin began life in Moscow, but departed for America at the young age of two and arrived in Texas. And so it became that the girl from Texas with the distinctly Russian name fufilled her dream of becoming Olympic champion.

Her father had come close to that very same dream some twenty years ago. Valeri just needed to stick his dismount from the high bar, just one moment, one stuck landing and his dream would come true. Yet, as he landed, he swayed, swinging his arms to try and regain his balance and prevent his body from taking that inevitable lurch forward that would cost him his dream. Gravity won out, as it always will, and Valeri took that step, losing the gold medal by just one-tenth of a point.

Now, exactly 20 years later to the day, he can celebrate the fact that he has raised a champion, a champion who conquered the dream that eluded him all those years ago.

Shawn Johnson will have her chance at the next Olympics to claim the gold that many thought she would win in Beijing. It wasn’t that Johnson made any major mistakes, in fact she performed quite well, it was just an accumulation of small miscues that ended up costing Johnson her own gold medal dream.

Both girls dreamed of going one-two in the Olympics, but on this day it was Nastia Liukin’s dream that came true.

The Olympic games are supposed to be about sportsmanship more then anything else. But on Thursday Swedish wrestler Ara Abrahamian demonstrated anything but that, throwing down his greco-roman bronze medal in protest after his quest for a gold medal was thwarted by a decision his coach deemed as “politics”.

Abrahamian tosses his bronze medal to the floor during the medal ceremony.

Since I did not watch the match I am not completely sure about what “decision” the wrestler and his coach are referring to, but one thing if for sure, an Olympic bronze medal is nothing to be tossed aside. I am sure that there are a number of other wrestlers who would have gladly accepted the award had they been given the opportunity.

The incident occurred during a match with eventual gold medalist Andrea Minguzzi of Italy. At one point the Swedish wrestler had to be restrained by teammates as he shouted at judges over the devision in his semifinal bout with Minguzzi. He shouted at both the referee and the judges and then approached their seats to speak with them face to face. After he was done speaking his mind he turned and left the arena, refusing to speak to reporters, but making his feelings known by punching an aluminum barricade as he exited.

Abrahamian was in such a state of depressed rage that he nearly did not compete in the bronze medal match, but was convinced by some of his friends to do so.

I understand that Abrahamian is upset with what he called a “totally unjustified” decision and the fact that this was his last Olympics and his final chance to earn a gold medal, he won a silver medal in Athens in 2004, but to act like this is just not what the Olympics is supposed to be about.

Every event that is judged by humans will always have some amount of error as we have seen in many Olympics past, especially in events like gymnastics scoring can be seemingly unfair and lopsided, but such is the nature of the event. Yet, how many times have you seen gymnasts throw down their medal during a ceremony and walk away?

In my opinion whether Abrahamian has a legitmate cause or not it shouldn’t matter. What defines a man more then anything is not how he acts in victory, but how he conducts himself in the face of defeat. Abrahamian showed us a lot about the type of man he is.

As of today the Swedes have yet to file a formal protest, but after the way Abrahamian acted I doubt the Olympic committee would look to kindly on any protest he filed anyway.

With many fantasy football leagues due to draft within the next few weeks, if not days, there is one dilemma everyone who owns the number one pick is facing, who to take, L.T. or A.P.? For many people this may seem like the easiest question in the world to answer. Do I draft the guy whose played in just 14 NFL games and has some nagging durbaility issues or do i draft the man who may be the greatest fantasy player of all-time?

On the surface it seems like an easy answer, but when you take a deeper look at the dillemma there is defintely some debating that should be done. So let’s take a look at “the great debate” and determine who hsould be the first oplayer taken in this years draft.

A.P. and L.T. who should go first?

Take Tomlinson-

This could be one of the easiest arguments ever made in reference to a fantasy football player. Listen, Tomlinson has been the premiere running back in fantasy football pretty much since he came into the league. So instead of pointing out all of Tomlinsons ridiculous statistics over the years I think we’d all be better served if I exapliend to you why not to pick Adrian Peterson as opposed to why you should pick Tomlinson.

First, A.P. is in a time-share. Yes, despite seemingly erasing the memory of Chester Taylor from the planet Taylor is still in line to carry some of the workload, probably around 120-150 carries. There is no way the Vikings will want to risk overusing such a talent as A.P. especially when you have a more than capable backup to share the workload. Taylor averaged 5.2 YPC last year and it seems likely that Minnesotta will continue to use him as long as he produces at that rate.

Second, and Im sorry to say it folks especially to you Viking fans, but A.P. just cannot seem to staty healthy for a full season. Yes he receovered relatively quickly from the knee injury that sidelined him last season, but he was plagued by injuries throughout his collegiate carrer and the trend seems to be continuing into the pros. L.T. on the other hand has missed just one game in his illustrious career due to injury.

Third, A.P. has Tarvaris JAckson as his Q.B. I don’t know if that is enough said right there, but it should at least raise an eyebrow. Jackson may develop into a good QB someday, but until he does defenses are going to focus on one thing and one thing only…stopping Minnesota’s ground game. Expect to see a lot of teams stacking eight or nine in the box to prevent Peterson from doing what he does best.

Take Peterson-

This may seem like a tough argument to make, but it really isn’t that hard when you consider some of the following factors.

First, L.T. is still the best back in the league but he has shouldered a tremendous amount of work throughout his career. Though Tomlinson is just 29 years old he has more mileage then my 1981 Honda Civic. His 2,365 career carries rank 20th all-time in league history. So far Tomlinson has carried the ball over 300 times in seven straight seasons. The only other running back to accomplish such a feat was Eddie George who averaged a meager 3.3 YPC carry in his eight season of such a workload.

Second, Tomlinson is coming off of the worst injury of his career. Granted by most peoples assesments it is not an injury that should longer and he has participated iv every team event including mini-camps, but knee injuries are tricky and its hard to judge how long on can be plagued by such an injury. The injury was classified as a grade 2 MCL sprain and was significant enough to keep Tomlinson out of a playoff game so it’s definetely something to think about.

Consider this as well, last year Peterson ran for just 133 fewer yards then Tomlinson despite missing two games, being limited in 4 others and starting just 9 games total. Basically, Peterson almost matched L.T.’s production with a bad knee, and 77 fewer carries. Perterson is also in line for an increase in goal line carries next season after receiving just 6 goal line touches all of last year.

Now, Tomlinson seemingly plays for the better team with more offensive weapons, but Phillip Rivers is recovering from a torn ACL, and Antonio Gates has yet to fully recover from the toe injury he suffered in the post season.

The Vikings on the other hand are a team on the rise. The addition of Jared Allen to an already staunch defensive unit should help the Vikings secure more leads and enable them to run the ball with greater frequency. Also, Bernard Berrian and rising star Syndney Rice give so-so QB tarvaris Jackson some quality options at wideout.

The Verdict:

If you are drafting for upside then Peterson is the obvious choice with more of a chance to produce some mind numbing numbers. However, if you want to know exactly what you are going to get then L.T. is your man. Me, I’ve always been a gambler and if I land the number one pick I’m taking A.P. but honestly I wouldn’t mind picking second either.

The gold was there for the taking. All it required was a few mistake free performances from the U.S. womens gymnastics team and iot could have been all theres.

However, it was the host country China, which captured another team gymnastics gold for the second consecutive time, thanks to some clutch performances, and some untimely miscues from the U.S. team.

China led halfway through the competition, but both teams would finish up on the balance beam and floor exercise, events which were considered to be the Americans best two events. Then China opened the door when Cheng fell off the beam, giving the Americans the chance to lock up a gold medal.

All they needed to do was get through the last two events and the gold would have been theirs. It was just not meant to be.

Alicia Sacramone was first up for the Americnas on the balance beam,but was forced to wait some 15 minutes before beginning her routine. The time seemed to agitate Sacramones nerves as she paced back and forth waiting for her routine to begin.

Apparently, Sacramone let her nerves get the best of her, as she came down to land the somersault that opens her routine, her right foot slipped off the edge of the 4-inch beam. She tried to regain her balance by any means possible, flaining her arms, and twisting her body,but the effort proved futile and Sacramone fell off the beam to the ounds of a stunned crowd. Not only was the fall a penalty, but Sacramone never got the chance to do the blackflip losing even more valuable points.

Sean Johnson consoles Alicia Sacramone after her fall.

Sacramone never really got the chance to recover from her mistake either, as she was the first one to compete on the floor exercise which in the past has been her signature event. She won a world title in 2005, with her trademark spunk and flair.

None of that was present on Wednesday however, and as she was going through her second tumbling run her feet slipped out from under her and she fell flat on her back, costing her team any chance at gold.

“I guess it was a little too hard to get out of the funk,” she said, “and it affected me on floor.”

Her teammates didn’t help the cause either when both made minor mistakes in stepping out of bounds during their routines.

The Chinese took the floor needing to average just above 14 points to claim the gold medal and instead of playing it safe, they played it up to the raucous home crowd.

The three Chinese women, some of whom may or may not have been old enough to compete, performed flawlessly, obviously delighted by the cheers of their countrymen and the prospect of claiming the gold.

Though the silver medal is an honor it has to come as a dissapointment to an American teamthat has dominated gymnastics the last several years, but has failed to produce on the world’s biggest stage.

Some of the American gymnasts such as Shawn Johnson and Sacramone will get another shot at gold when the individual comptetitions begin.

Hopefully, for Sacramone especially, she will earn a small measure of redemption and capture gold for herself and try to erase the memories of Wednesday night.

It’s being touted as the greatest relay race in Olympic history and if you stayed up late enough to watch there is no doubt that you would feel the same way.

It was the exact type of event that makes the Olympics so compelling to watch. There was drama, there was thrash talking, and eventually there was a Gold medal.

The drama in this instance was three fold. First, there was the French telling all who would listen that thy would “smash” the Americans in their upcoming relay heat and capture the Gold. Then there was Michael Phelps, whose quest for 8 Olympic Gold’s could have been halted before it ever even got off the ground. Lastly, there was the drama of the event itself and a finish that will go down as one of the greatest of all time in Olympic swimming competition.

Take these other factors as well, not only was the World Record broken by an astonishing 4 seconds by the Americans, but it was broken by five teams total….a time that just four years ago would have insured Olympic Gold wouldn’t even have gotten you on the medal stand last night.

The drama came to a thundering conclusion in the epic final 100 meters. With American Jason Lezak- the anchor on America’s disappointing 2000 and 2004 4×100 meter4 freestyle relay teams facing off against France’s Alain Bernard, the world-record holder in the 100-meter freestyle going into the event, and the very man who had boasted of the inevitability of a French victory. Perhaps in a moment of foreshadowing Bernard had actually lost his world-record to Australia’s Eamon Sullivan just moments earlier when he opened the relay with a 47.24 leg capturing the world record.

Phelps lead off the first leg for the Americans and established an excellent pace. Weber-Gale followed and the Americans came away from his leg with the lead. Cullen Jones was the next man in the pool for the Americans and as predicted swam the slowest leg, relinquishing the American lead and giving France a six-tenths of a second advantage entering the final leg. By the time Lezak got into the pool and made his final turn that gap had grown to .82 seconds, and the Americans were declared dead by NBC commentator Rowdy Gaines. Yet, thankfully no one told that to Jason Lezak who pulled off the fastest 100-meter split in the history of the games: 46.06 second catching Bernard in the final meters and beating him to the wall, erasing every bad memory from Olympic relays past and sealing the first Gold medal for the United States in the event since 1996.

Lezak trying to surpass French swimmer Bernard

Until 2000, the U.S. had never lost a 4×100 meter freestyle. Then came the Sydney Games, when another man, Gary Hall Jr. of Australia, made a bold proclamation saying of his Australian team, “We’ll smash them like guitars.” Hall and the Australians stayed true to their word beating the Americans by .19 seconds, mockingly playing air guitars atop the medal stand while waiting for the medals to be handed out.

Then came 2004, the lowest point for the American relay team. Not only did they not capture the gold, but finished behind both South Africa and Netherlands taking home a disappointing bronze medal.

Lezak was the anchor on both teams and turned in what many classified as sub par performances. Well, redemption thy name is gold and the U.S. has one man to thank.

By Matt Valentine

Smog covers Beijing

With the Olympic games due to kick off tomorrow evening, the one thing that is on most peoples minds or more aptly in most peoples lungs is the pollution in the host city of Beijing.

A thick,dense, haze has descended upon the city cutting visibility to less then a mile, a condition that Chinese officials attribute to the meteorological conditions in the city.

China has made a concerted effort to clean up the air prior to the start of the games, but many athletes and others have complained that air is very contaminated with pollutants, some even claiming that they were coughing up black mucus after training near the stadium.

In fact, just days ago some members of the U.S. Olympic team had to apologize for wearing masks that would protect their lungs from the harmful pollutants surrounding the area.

On Thursday, Beijing’s air pollution index was recorded at 96, which came close to exceeding the national level for acceptable air. Levels between 51-100 are considered moderate pollution, and anything over 100 is harmful to sensitive groups, including children and the elderly.

In the months leading up to the Olympics the Chinese government did go to great lengths to help reduce the pollution in the bustling city of 17 million people.Beijing officials imposed some drastic measures in mid-July, taking half of the city’s 3.3 million vehicles off the road, halting most construction and closing dozens of factories.

Apparently the measures have had a positive impact. Environmental officials have stated that a 20 percent drop in major pollutants occurred in July as compared with the same time last year. However, given the enormity of the swings in pollutants, ranging from crystal clear blue skies to the thick haze of Thursday the measures have not been enough.

Many athletes fear the effects of the pollutants on their performance and their healht. However, many health officials say that the short term exposure to the air should not have any lasting effects on the athletes.

Perhaps, in the future the IOC will consider the enviornment in which the games will be played when deciding on where to hold future Olympics.

By Matt Valentine

The Favre saga in Green Bay has finally come to an end…allow me a moment to rejoice.

With a late night deal announced around 12:30 AM EST the Favre era in Green Bay officially came to an end and a new chapter will begin in the city that never sleeps.

Favre who is no stranger to the camera, will now find himself paying under the bright lights of Broadway, or more accurately the bright lights of Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

It must be a stunning upset to Buccaneers fans who thought they were the front runners in the Brett Favre sweepstakes, only to wake and find that the Jets had lured Favre to New York for a conditional draft pick in 2009.

According to NFL.com, the Packers will receive a fourth-round draft pick in 2009. The selection would turn into a third-rounder if Favre plays in 50 percent of the plays this season, a second-rounder if he plays in 70 percent and the Jets make the playoffs, or a first-round pick if he plays in 80 percent and the Jets make it to the Super Bowl.

Favre will most likely have to pass a physical before the trade becomes official, but the more important aspect of the deal is that Favre, who was once seemingly opposed to playing in New York, apparently signed off on the deal.

Favre’s arrival in New York signals the beginning of one era and the end of another, that is the end of the Chad Pennington era. Pennigton who is due to make $6 million will be traded or released by the Jets to make room for Favre who is scheduled to earn $12.7 million in 2008. I feel for Pennington, who was a player that poured his heart and soul into the Jets organization  fighting throw significant arm injuries to return to the team he loved. Yet, there are plenty of teams out there, perhaps the Bucs or Vikings, who could use the services of the weak armed but accurate QB.

The Jets stock has risen on many fronts with what could prove to be one of the best off seasons in the leagues history.  The Jets made significant additions through free agency to shore up some of their most glaring weaknesses. Particularly the addition of Pro Bowl guard Alan Faneca to a young and improving line that contains promising starters Nick Mangold and D’brickashaw Ferguson should provide Favre with plenty of time to air it out.

How long Favre will be a Jet remains to be seen. The Jets have stated that they are taking it year by year and with the way Favre has handled things in the past that’s probably the best way to look at the situation. For now though, the Jets may have just turned themselves into a legitimate playoff contender and could even challenge the Patriots for the top spot in the AFC East.

Now that the move has finally been made, the media can focus on Brett’s moves on the field instead of off the field and I for one am happy as hell. Still, I wonder if the Packers and Favre will ever be able to mend their relationship in the future, considering that just a brief time ago the two were pretty much synonymous with one another.

And while Green Bay fans are probably in a state of deep mourning, or anger depending on how quickly they’re moving through the grieving process, Jets fans are in a deserved state of euphoria.

A euphoria which will only last as long as the Jets and Favre win.

With reports swirling today that Favre will most likely be dealt to a new team in the very near future, two candidates have emerged as front runners in the Brett Favre sweepstakes.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers seem to be in the best position to deal for Favre with the New York Jets still in the hunt to acquire the 39 year old QB.

This came after Favre and Packers coach Mike McCarthy spoke very candidly for approximately six hours over the past two days, and McCarhy drew the conclusion that Favre is not ” in the right mind-set” to play for the Green Bay Packers.

Favre cannot seem to move past what he deems, “emotional wounds” inflicted on him by the team as tensions mounted in recent weeks. This coming despite that fact that the Packers stated there would be an open competition for the starting QB role. Now, it seems that Favre and Green Bay will have to part ways and perhaps no one is more to blame then Favre himself.

While both sides have played a role in the disintegration of their respective relationships it is Favre who has rarely taken the high road. He has aired his grievances publicly on numerous occasions all but ensuring that any attempt at patching up the battered relationship would be futile.  In his many conversations about his situation Favre has never seemed positive about his status with the team. Even stating that he felt he couldn’t trust Packers GM Thompson because he failed to heed his pleadings to acquire Randy Moss and because he chose to hire Mike McCarthy over Favres long-time friend Steve Mariucci.

Honestly, what other QB in his right mind would try and tell a general manager how to do his job, and then get all pissy when the GM doesn’t do what he said?  Um, the last time I checked Brett your job was to run this teams offense on the field not determine roster moves or head coaching decisions. That’s Thompson’s job and apparently he’s done it pretty well considering you were 13-3 last season and you were one drive away from going to the Super Bowl, a drive that ended by the way on a terrible pass thrown by you!

Favrre has kept all of Green Bay in limbo for a number of off seasons now. He has been a consistent distraction to his teammates this time of year, and even the players are getting upset about it. Favre knows the type of power he holds in Green Bay and has wielded it with a childish, impetuous fist at times.  No quarterback should have the power to hold a franchise hostage like Favre has done for several years, none worse then this one.

And after all this, Favre feels he has the right to be traded to a team within Green Bay’s own division?  Why would someone who is so loyal to the fans, and the franchise want so desperately to play them twice a year? I think the answer is simple, so he can go in there and without raising his voice or middle finger send a big F-U to everyone in the Packers front office. But, Brett wouldn’t you be hurting the fans, and former teammates more then anyone else? It all seems so silly now, and the Packers have every right to finally refuse the man who they’ve given nearly everything he’s asked.

Of course,  the person getting the stiffest end of this deal is Aaron Rodgers, the only one who has handled the situation with even a shred of dignity. I  just hope that at some point those fans that relentlessly cheer “We want Brett” and  relentlessly boo Rodgers realize that this man is going to be leading this team and you better get behind him now, or keep your mouths shut. What sense does it make to boo your own QB? Especially considering the kid has yet to do anything, but put his head down, keep his mouth shut, and do his job. Wow, what a crime.

When this situation finally does resolve it self, with Brett being trade to whatever team wheter it be the Jets or Tampa I just hope Green Bay fans don’t cling so desperately to the notion of Brett the icon and open their eyes to who really took the situation to the point of no return.

Just eight years Lopez Lomong didn’t even have a country  to call his own. Now, just 13 months after becoming a U.S. citizen Lomong won a vote of team captains to earn the honor of leading America’s Olympic competitors into the 90,000 seat Bird’s Nest Stadium.

Lomong’s story is an inspiring one. The 1500-meter track star’s feet literally saved his life. At the age of 6 Lomong was separated from his parents in his home country of Sudan by Sudanese rebels who were “recruiting” children to fight in their army. Lomong was taken at gun point to a camp, where he managed to escape with the help of friends, fleeing on foot to a refugee camp in Kenya. In 2001he was relocated to the United States as part of a program to relocate lost children from war-torn Sudan.

While the story is an inspiring one the trend of athletes participating in the Olympics for countries other then the ones that they were born in has become an increasing trend.  In fact, all three American participants in the 1500-meter event are naturalized citizens. Lomong, Bernard Lagat and Leo Manzano were all born in countries other then America. Lagat was born in Kenya, and Manzano was born in Mexico.

The trend has not only sent athletes to the United States , but is sending American athletes to other countries seeking the opportunity to play for Olympic Gold. Becky Hammon, an American basketball player and WNBA star announced that she would play for Russia in this coming Olympics despite having no ancestral link to the country.

I understatnd that Lomong was selected by his fellow Olympians to represent the United States as its flag bearer, but shouldn’t this honor only be relegated to those who were born in this country? While I have no objection to anyone who wants to come to this country and participate in our national sports, it seems odd that one who is not born here should be given such a distinguished honor, no  matter how compelling his story is.

If the trend of letting anyone even, those without ancestral ties to a country, play for that country in the Olympics continues what is to stop any athlete who feels they have a better chance of making another countries Olympic squad leave their own country and try and gain citizenship in that country solely in the quest for Olympic glory.

The Olympics are supposed to be individuals representing their country. It is not supposed to be soley about individual glory. That is why each country bears a flag, why each uniform is marked with the representation of that country.This trend is turning an event which is supposed to represent national and world unity into an event where an individual like Hammon can literally be “rented” by another country merely to satisfy here own personal goals.

What separates someone like Lomong from someone like Hammon is that Lomong came here for reasons well outside of his own personal need for Olympic glory. Lomong came here to save his life, to have a chance to make something out of his life and America is giving him that chance. Hammon has been given everything she could ask for from this country, but because she felt spurned by the US Olympic team (and she may well have been) she jumps ship to pursue an individual goal. Not, exactly what the Olympics are supposed to be about Becky.