IF the olympics are for amateur atheletes then why are US paid professional basketball playersin it?

Question

IF the olympics are for amateur atheletes then why are US paid professional basketball playersin it?

Answer 1

i think  because nba players are mostly Americans and you dont recognize professional players from other places because its all about the nba ?

Answer 2

Shannon M, baseball did allow professionals as minor leaguers are professional players. Some players on the teams are first round picks and have signed 2 million dollar signing bonuses.

Answer 3

Obviously you are too young to remember past olympics where soviet bloc countries sent their professionals while the other countries sent their amateurs. This wasn't enough as the soviet bloc countries also pumped their athletes so full of steroids that the women had nicer mustaches than the men and would absolutely destroy their competition.

Now parity has come to the games and you complain. Yes, it is sad that the amateurs no longer compete in many sports but this is the way the world wanted it.

Answer 4

Cause all the other COUNTRIES around the world are doing!

Answer 5

Because it is no longer for amateurs (except boxing). No I don't think its fair that millionaire NBA basketball players who are paid to practice, train, and play basketball all day come and take the chance of some amateur kids away. If you're paid huge amounts of money to do nothing but play your sport, of course you're going to be great.

It's like having NASA scientists come and displace kids at a science fair project. Of course the professional scientists and engineers will build a better project than the kids. NBA at the Olympic is no different.  

Answer 6

The problem is the premise of you're question.  Olympics are not for amateur athletes.  Those days are long ago.  Some American's are amateur, but those are mostly collegiate athletes holding onto their NCAA eligibility.

Answer 7

basketball in the Olympics is not for just Amateurs, didn't you see Spain's team had NBA players too.

Answer 8

Yea, the amateur theory only works on certain forms of the athletics, but it's an even playing field as far all the countries opting for pros in certain sports (i.e. Spain playing America and both having pro players on their teams).

Answer 9

When there was a Soviet Union, the "Amateur" athlete title was problematic.  While people like Godel Decathlete scraped by to make a living with NO advertising contracts or USOC support, Communist States moved their top athletes to state-owned palaces, gave them there meals for free, etc along with their families, because, in a communist state, no one owns anything.  In this system the East Bloc thrived while the west won "silvers on principle". When the USSR disappeared, the rules were changed to drop the amateur portion.  Besides, if you don't think NBA players fit, how about Phelps who was already making $5 Million a year..?  If you're wondering about MLB, they wouldn't allow players in the bigs to paly, nor would they tolerate a break at the peak of the season...

In reagrds to Baseball, the IOC DOES allow professionals - minor leaguers are, in fact, paid, thereby making them professionals.

Answer 10

It depends on the sport and the rules of its governing body. Many sports have professional athletes in it...soccer, basketball, swimming, etc. And many other countries have pro athletes...most of Spain's roster had NBA players, China had 2, Argentina and Australia had pro b-ball players as well. Some sports allow professional athletes and some, like baseball, do not.