An Olympic rant

With its six whole grams of gold, an Olympic gold medal has a tangible worth of approximately six hundred seventy five dollars in today’s prices.

Thanks for all your hard work and effort! Now beat it.

A silver, around three hundred thirty.
And a bronze, $4.70.
You read right. Four dollars and seventy cents, this according to CBS news. Go figure.

With the Olympic challenge ever at the forefront of a young athlete’s dreams, these young kid’s parents pay thousands for them to train, (presumably, unless you’re a Masai warrior, where your training consists largely of running away from hungry lions), even more to fund the trip to London, and, if they’re lucky enough to place third, see their dreams extinguished rewarded with a prize having roughly the same value as a Double Whopper with cheese. How fucked is that?
Why, even NASCAR offers prize money to its last place finishers, and their idea of training is drinking moonshine and outrunning West Virginia Sheriff’s deputies.
The only recognition you give your participants is conferring them with a diploma. Sweet.

Hey Olympic Committee. Get a clue!
When an organization such as NASCAR can reward even its last place finishers with prize money, why can’t you?
It’s not like it’d cost a lot or anything, since paying athletes in their country’s currency would probably be less than a flame broiled Whopper in most cases. Certainly in a country like Nigeria anyway.

Maybe you could handout colored ribbons or trophies.
Perhaps even a small plaque commemorating the event.
But a sheet of paper?

You may as well pass out value meal coupons redeemable at their nearest Burger King. At least they’d be worth $4.70.
Although if you do, I’d suggest throwing in a chocolate shake or ice cream cone too.
Ice cream is a common cure for depression.

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