Changes

:It's also not my intention to denigrate anyone's efforts. I know that it takes a great deal of dedication, toil and inherent talent to win an Olympic medal in any discipline. People and governments are guided in the sports they choose, or choose to fund, by the decisions of the IOC and other bodies, and I think it's the sports governing bodies who need to change their approach so that the athletes' hard work is directed into something that is as worthwhile as possible.--[[User:CPalmer|CPalmer]] 12:24, 10 August 2012 (EDT)

:It's also not my intention to denigrate anyone's efforts. I know that it takes a great deal of dedication, toil and inherent talent to win an Olympic medal in any discipline. People and governments are guided in the sports they choose, or choose to fund, by the decisions of the IOC and other bodies, and I think it's the sports governing bodies who need to change their approach so that the athletes' hard work is directed into something that is as worthwhile as possible.--[[User:CPalmer|CPalmer]] 12:24, 10 August 2012 (EDT)

::And who is to set themselves up as judge and jury to decide what is "worthwhile" or not? If an athlete enjoys the sport, who are we to decide that the sport is a "joke", or that it is a waste of time for that athlete? Millions of dollars are spent in American football every year- and its point is? When I was little, and my dad watched football on TV, I thought the point was to see how many men could end up stacked in a pile. As an adult, to me it seems like it's just a chance for grown men to inflict violence on each other while chasing a ball around the field without facing legal ramifications. It's no more "worthwhile" in my eyes than the backstroke is in yours, but I'm not out there trying to justify its inclusion in the "joke sport" category. If you don't like the sport, then don't watch. Simple as that. 12:41, 10 August 2012 (EDT)

::And who is to set themselves up as judge and jury to decide what is "worthwhile" or not? If an athlete enjoys the sport, who are we to decide that the sport is a "joke", or that it is a waste of time for that athlete? Millions of dollars are spent in American football every year- and its point is? When I was little, and my dad watched football on TV, I thought the point was to see how many men could end up stacked in a pile. As an adult, to me it seems like it's just a chance for grown men to inflict violence on each other while chasing a ball around the field without facing legal ramifications. It's no more "worthwhile" in my eyes than the backstroke is in yours, but I'm not out there trying to justify its inclusion in the "joke sport" category. If you don't like the sport, then don't watch. Simple as that. [[User:SharonW|SharonW]] 12:42, 10 August 2012 (EDT)