Far from fun and Games
Political issues often put Olympic athletes in can't-win situation
Michael Phelps has no trouble talking about Speedo, that's for sure. He's paid to wear the company's new swimsuit and will win a half-dozen gold medals, or more, in the Beijing Olympics this summer.
''We're privileged enough to have the amazing suit that Speedo makes,'' he said, starting an amazing run of roughly 10 sentences in a row with the word ''Speedo'' in each one.
(AP)
But switch the conversation to Darfur, Tibet or any of the other human-rights issues involving China, issues that have led to protests and calls for Olympic boycotts, and Phelps pushes a button on a tape recorder in his brain, spitting out words without the tiniest bit of thought:
''Being able to go to the Olympic Games and represent my country ... that's what this year is really about. For the athletes, it's an Olympic year, and that's what we're preparing ourselves for.''
Roughly 150 members of the U.S. Olympic team are in town for three days of meeting with the nation's media. We've seen the outcry about celebrating the Games as a showcase in China, but we haven't heard from the athletes themselves about it.
Of those who appeared Monday, there was a disturbing uniformity in their talk.
They uniformly sidestepped the issue.
And then softball player Jessica Mendoza stepped up, citing numbers of deaths and rapes in Darfur, clearly understanding and educated. ''As much as I love the sport,'' she said, ''I love humanity.''
Reporters crowded her. I crowded in. And that's when it hit: Since when did it matter what some softball player, albeit a good one, thinks about Darfur?
Basically, there is no way these athletes can win on this. Don't speak up, and they are lacking a social conscience. Speak up and ... who cares?
And this impossible spot isn't going to change.
The International Olympic Committee never should have given China the Olympics. Why did it? Who knows? But it sure does seem to help the big corporate sponsors to open up the markets in China.
Whatever the reason, it's not the fault or responsibility of the athletes.
''There should be no expectations put on athletes,'' gymnast Paul Hamm said. ''Why not talk about the Tibet stuff when China was bidding for the Olympics? We need to focus on our training.''
It will not be that easy. These athletes will be seen as individual ambassadors and political commentators.
Women's gymnast Shawn Johnson, who is going to become a big name in August, was asked her feelings and said, ''Since we can't do much to change it, you learn to live with it.''
How can she be so dismissive and selfish about people's pain?
Here's how. She's a 16-year-old kid. And it gets absurd when you're sitting there waiting for someone to ask a 16-year-old gymnast for her thoughts on the Dalai Lama.
Most of these athletes are not equipped for this sort of thing.
At the Turin Olympics, U.S. speedskater Joey Cheek donated his gold-medal bonus money to refugees from Darfur.
''He's a remarkable person,'' Mendoza said. ''That [prize money] is what we live on. We're not the Michael Phelps of the world.''
Yes, Phelps is the big star with big endorsements. And truth is, people will look to him and other big names much more than they will to the Mendozas of the world.
Someone asked Phelps if he felt additional responsibility as the guy with the platform, to speak up.
''Well, like I said before,'' he said. And then he pushed that play button in his brain again.
Softball player Jennie Finch said speaking up is ''not my cup of tea.''
They can use their position, their fame, but it's unfair to demand that of them.
We saw Michael Jordan dodge issues for years. Tiger Woods dodges them, too. And you wonder how much of that has to do with trying not to offend their sponsors.
It's clear there was censorship going on Monday. Several athletes said the U.S. Olympic Committee told them to say what they want.
I have a feeling -- but no proof -- that it was coming from corporate sponsors. Nike, for instance, does big business in China. One athlete talked about visiting another company's factory in China, thanks to a family connection, and having an emotional reaction to a ''sweatshop'' with kids doing the work.
He nervously asked not to have his name connected to that statement.
What a spot to put these athletes in. What should we expect from them?
Just a little: Don't say hurtful things, represent your country with class and don't say things that make you look uncaring or completely disconnected from the world.
Phelps said when he's not swimming, he's sleeping, watching TV or playing video games.
Ugh.
''It's a lot of responsibility for an athlete to take in,'' women's soccer player Abby Wambach said. ''Bringing the world together in our Olympic movement is where we think we can speak the loudest.''
That's good enough.