A Great Sport, A Boring League

At The Daily Hurt, we focus mainly on the basketball world, but with the Olympics over and the NBA season still a good two months away, we're going to cast an eye over some of the other sports and leagues around the world, some of which have already started their 2008-09 season.

Today, we're going to have a look at football.

Depending on where you were brought up, football is soccer or soccer is soccer. Get it ? Whatever you call it, I'm talking about the sport David Beckham plays. For the purposes of this blog, we'll refer to it as football.

Football truly is the only "World" game. From Africa to Asia to Europe and the America's, no other sport unites the entire planet like it.

One of the most popular football leagues in the world is England's Premier League.

It's easy to see why. You only need to mention "Manchester United" to almost anyone to evoke either an angry snarl or a pumped fist. You either love 'em or hate 'em.

That's the way it usually happens when one team wins all the time. Long periods of dominance leads to jealousy but also boredom, especially when the team dominating has resources and tools which other teams have no access to.

And when it comes to success, Man Utd is in a class of its own.

Since English football adapted the "Premier League" in 1992, Man U have won the title 10 times in 16 seasons. That's a lot of winning and an enviable record. Only three other teams (Arsenal, Chelsea & Blackburn) have won the league, one of them (Blackburn in '95) only once.

The "Premier League" should be renamed the "Elitist League".

It rewards the rich teams, while the poorer ones have to feed off scraps. The richer teams also have no interest in levelling out the playing field either. And, as there is no salary cap, the gulf between the teams will only become greater.

Just as Man U have few challengers on the pitch, they have just as few off it, financially. Chelsea has a billionaire Russian owner and Liverpool do alright, but apart from that, it's really only Arsenal and Newcastle that has what could be considered 'wealth'.

Let's look at Chelsea for example. Prior to 2003 when Roman Abramovich brought his roubles to West London, they were already considered a team reasonably well off. They weren't in Man U's class, but they weren't pauper's either.

Abramovich has pumped more than half-a-billion quid into the team and they have since won the premiership twice and been runners up twice in five years. In other words, you can buy success if you're rich enough. If not, tough.

What's the point of that ? What hope do the teams who have to make do on the more traditional means of income such as gate receipts and shirt sales have to compete ?

The competition for the title is dead boring, yet whenever Man U win it, they talk about how great an achievement it has been.

It's sad because throughout the premiership season, there is always some spectacular goals and games, that is without question. But the problem is, that no matter how exciting these games are, most of the teams are playing for survival, without any realistic hope of winning the actual title.

Just ask fans of Middlesborough, Tottenham or Aston Villa. The most passionate will no doubt delude themselves into thinking that their time will come, but it won't. Ever. An FA Cup is the best they can aim for.

The only hope they have is that a billionaire somewhere in the world will decide to pump their money into one of these clubs. But, if any billionaire felt investing into one of those teams was a good investment, then they wouldn't be a billionaire in the first place, if you catch my drift.

Farewell Beijing, Hello London

So that's it. Beijing bids adieu to the world. When everyone wakes from a fantastic 16 days in China and rubs their eyes, the focus of the next Summer Olympic Games will be on London. In between, there is the Winter version of the games being held in Vancouver in 2010.

Beijing and China put on an impressive show for all the world to see. As always, there will be some memorable, magical moments that will be remembered for a long, long time.

Michael Phelps' 8 gold medals is a record that I doubt will ever be beaten. It was a remarkable feat. He was the story of the games.

Yet, as good as Phelps was in the pool, Usain Bolt's performance on the running track gave this blogger the games greatest individual moments. Three events, three gold's and three WR's to boot. But it wasn't just what he achieved, it was how he did it all.

• To start with, in the 100m, when he had time to do cartwheel's before crossing the line, it could have been perceived to be a show of arrogance by him, but it wasn't. He was just that much better than the rest of the field. And he wasn't running against donkey's either, Usain was just in a class of his own.


• For the 200, like a true showman, he had the world salivating with expectation, waiting to see what he was going to do. And the hardest thing in sport to do, is to live UP to expectation, but Bolt did just that. Everyone knew that nobody else could possibly win the race, it was just a matter of how much Bolt was going to shave off the old record.


• Just for good measure, Usain combined with his Jamaican countrymen to add a new WR in collecting his third gold in the 4X100. Running third, Bolt's momentum carried him so far that he actually crossed the finish line before the Dutch team had even finished. Bolt lit up the track at these games and he is a Superstar.

The USA is back as the world's best basketball nation. This 2008 'redemption team' did what they had to do by winning the gold medal and went through the tournament undefeated, but the days of the original 'Dream Team' are unlikely to return. Basketball is getting stronger and stronger around the world and China especially are the nation that is most likely to develop and improve over the next 20 years or so.

So, the world now waits to see what London has to offer. It will be a tough ask for them to able to produce an Olympic Games that comes close to Beijing's. Notoriously bad at planning and organizing things (see Wembley Stadium, or 2006 World Cup bid) the biggest challenge that London's Olympic committee faces, is to avoid the political infighting and bickering that is so often the problem with them.

On top of that, the British government has a tendency to spend far too much money on these things (Wembley was upwards of 700million quid and two years late!). They have set a budget of about 9.3 billion pounds already, which is already almost three times the original 3.4b set back in 2005 when London was announced as host of the games. So, they were only 6b off their original estimate then, one wonders how much the final bill will be.

Rogge's Comments Tarnish IOC, Not Bolt

The 2008 Beijing Olympic games have lived up to their hype. There has been amazing feats achieved by equally as amazing athletes. World Records have been set and smashed. They have been the show case event the world expects to see.

Beijing and China have put on such a show, that the Olympic delegates from London must be secretly worried that they know it will be a tough act for them to follow in four years time.

One of the main reasons which has made these games so enjoyable has been the relatively few major controversies. Sure, there has been the usual few drug cheats, a few questionable judging decisions in the diving, gymnastics and boxing & then there is also a large question mark hanging over the Chinese gymnasts who are clearly nowhere near the 16 years of age required to compete.

Nevertheless, none of these issues have knocked the accomplishments of the athletes from the front pages of the news.

IOC president Jacques Rogge must have been starting to feel abit sorry for himself. He and his pampered delegates weren't getting enough attention from the media all the while Phelps, Bolt et al hogged the limelight.

When Usain Bolt broke - smashed - the World Record in the men's 100m on Saturday night, he showed us two things. Firstly, that he is a superstar runner, possibly the finest sprinter we've ever seen. Secondly, that by not finishing the race at full-speed, he is a young man with still some lessons to learn in how to be a complete professional sportsman.

He is young, he will learn. He's already shown himself to be as quick a learner as he is a runner when he galloped to a second Gold medal and another World Record in the mens 200m on Thursday. This time there was no let up when he was the only one in sight of the finish line.

His pre-finish celebration and subsequent post-race delight in the 100m disappointed Rogge. "That's not the way we perceive being a champion," Rogge said. Let's take a moment to remember that Bolt is a 21-year-old who just set an almost untouchable World Record in one of the Olympics most prestigious events, yet Rogge didn't seem to think his celebration was justified.

What did Rogge expect from Usain ? A quiet nod of acknowledgement to the crowd and that's it ?
The men's 100 metre's is one event that every Olympic fan looks forward too. If you win this race, you inherit the title of "fastest man on earth". Bolt can go one better too and also add the word "ever" to his tag.

Bolt's record might never be bettered. He is his only real threat to his crown at the moment.

Back to Rogge. "I would love him to show more respect for his competitors". Bolt might have had time to shake hands with the other runners if they finished anywhere near him. By the time Bolt had crossed the line, they were only distant specs in his rear-view mirror.

How dare Bolt turn the Olympic Games into such a spectacle ? This is not what they are all about, no. The true spirit of the Olympics is about five-star hotels, limousine's and expensive restaurants, especially for Rogge and co.

Rogge did finally at least acknowledge that Bolt is a fine athlete. "(he is) a great athlete, of course".

Hopefully in London in 2012, Bolt will set the pulses of sports fans racing again as he sets about defending his 100m crown. With any luck, by then, Rogge will be as distant a memory as Usain's challengers were here in Beijing.

Thunder Bolt As Usain Roars To 200m Record

Usain Bolt once again left the field in his dust and also set a new World Record in winning the men's 200m final.

Bolt captured his second Gold Medal of the Olympic Games and in doing so also slashed .02 off Michael Johnson's record for this event set in Atlanta in 1996. The new mark is now 19.30.

Bolt leapt out of the blocks and after only a few of his gigantic paces, it was clear he was only racing against the clock, as the lightning fast track again proved to be a dream surface for his perfectly suited running technique.

Prior to the race, Bolt promised not to repeat his skylarking finish as he had in the 100m final where he slowed down when he knew he was home. And he was true to his word here, as there was no show-boating, no thumping of the chest, just an honest, teeth-gritted effort from maybe the finest sprinter ever.

As he rounded the bend in Beijing's Bird's Nest stadium, Bolt charged down the straight and across the finish line, with no other runner in sight. He looked about 1,000 lengths clear by then !
The 21-year-old Jamaican has one last race to compete in for these Olympics and that is the mens 4X100m which is on Thursday. Based on what he's shown so far, he must be considered a good chance to add a third Gold to his haul by then.

Bolt celebrated this 200m victory in similar style to his 100m win. There were kisses tossed out to the adoring crowd, but once again the biggest smooch was saved for the track which has proved to be a perfect platform for him.

For those interested in the minor placings, which seem pointless when you consider how much this race was about Bolt and nobody else, American's Shawn Crawford and Walter Dix came in second and third. There was even a few protests and challenges for the minor placings which is like squabbling over yesterday's newspaper. The judges should have just asked them, 'does it really matter fellas ?'

The Great Haul Of China

On home soil, China continues to set the pace in the Gold Medal race. The USA leads the overall tally with 67 total medals but China has a staggering 37 Gold's with 14 silver and bronze.

It's not a huge surprise to see China leading the way, but it's quite extraordinary that they 'only' have 14 of each of the minor placings. An interesting stat that I caught on Saturday whilst watching the 'ladies' weight-lifting(no, I don't love sport that much, but I was channel surfing when I heard it) is that apparently China has one-million female weight lifters ! If that's true, I can only imagine how many basketballer's, football players and other, better known sports players they must have. In 20 years time, they might just be favourite to win everything !

Great Britain is currently in third place with 12 Gold Medals and 27 overall, followed by Australia who has 11 Gold's, but 33 overall medals.

Next in fifth place is Germany(9 Gold, 22 overall), followed by South Korea(8, 22), Japan(8,20) and the Russian Federation(7,32).

Michael Phelps completed his perfect Olympics on Saturday when he picked up his 8th Gold Medal. This achievement by Phelps is staggering and will be nigh on impossible to even match, let alone beat. At only 23, Phelps could still add to his bucket of Gold in London in 2012.

Ominous signs from the USA on the basketball court. In what was billed as the 'acid test' when they took on reigning World Champions Spain on Saturday, the redeem team handed out a 119-82 thumping. Once again it was a suffocating defense from the American's and Spain had no answer - emphasized by the USA forcing Spain into 28 turnovers ! On form, it's hard to see any team taking the Gold from the USA here.

The Jamaican women backed up country-men Usain Bolt's incredible 100m on Saturday when they went 1,2 & 3 in the ladies race. Shelly-Ann Fraser crossed the line in 10.78 with a dead heat at 10.98 between Sherone Simpson and Kerron Stewart. Jamaica comes across as a country of laid-back party people, but man, can they RUN ! Speaking of Bolt, he's an absolute certainty to win the 200m on Wednesday night and waltzed into his semi-final in 20.29 seconds. As with the 100m heats, he took his foot off the gas - which is fine - but let's just hope he guns it the whole way and sets an amazing record that he's truly capable of. I'm tipping he could run this in sub 19 seconds. As explosive as his 100m run was, he robbed us - and himself - of something even more impressive than his 9.69 run.

Usain-ity ! Bolt-ing Jamaican Shatters 100m Record In A Stroll !

WOW ! What can you say ? There are simply not enough superlatives to describe Usain Bolt's performance in the 100m Mens Final !

He absolutely destroyed the field. So far in front he was that over the last 15m he slowed - noticeably - yet still obliterated his own World Record.

Bolt stolled across the finish line 9.69 seconds after the starters gun popped and probably would have run 9.50 or better if he had actually ran the race through. Simply amazing.

If there was anything that could steal Michael Phelps' thunder (lightning?) at these games, it was this run by Bolt. Sure, Phelps is going to be the overall story of these games, but Bolt has given us Beijing's biggest individual highlight. WOW WOW WOW !

In the primest of prime-times, Bolt elevated the race to its deserved platform as the final event of the evening. The last event on the middle Saturday night should always be the most prestigious, the one everyone wants to see, the one everyone hopes for an astonoshing moment to be able to talk about forever.

The near 100,000 spectators in Beijing's birds nest stadium took home an Olympic memory more special than most tonight, though one has to wonder how long it will be before Bolt lowers the mark he set here and makes a mockery of this incredible run ?

So magical was this, that it is almost irrelevant as to who picked up the Silver and Bronze medals. It may aswell have been me. It wasn't but the two plodders were Richard Thompson (9.89) of Trinidad and Tobago followed by Walter Dix (9.91) of the USA.

For any spectator who endured the countless other events leading up to this one won't be disappointed to have stuck it out. I just hope that nobody in the crowd decided to nip off early to try to beat the traffic home. This wasn't man landing on the moon tonight - No, it was much, much bigger !

There hadn't been a World Record run at this event in an Olympic Games since Donovan Bailey ran 9.84 at Atlanta in '96.

On the grandest of all stages though, Bolt returned the initials WR next to the numbers 9.69 and now everything feels right again. This is one event that should always have its top speed run at an Olympic meet.

Never before has the winner of this race been so laughably ahead that he has actually had time to begin his celebration 15 metres out. When he knew he was home, he spread his arms out as if to say 'how easy is this ?'.

And then there are two scary side notes to add to tonight. Firstly, this isn't supposed to Bolt's pet event. His preferred event is the 200m and on tonight's evidence when he runs that on Wednesday night, he will shatter the current record of 19.32, set by Michael Johnson also in Atlanta.

Secondly, Bolt has a reputation for being a bit of a party boy, someone who still needs to work on his preparation and professionalism. So, technically he's run 9.69 and still has to knuckle down and get serious about his running !

When the other competitors were being introduced tonight, Bolt seemed oblivious to the stage he was on, almost bored at having to wait so long for his race to begin.

The other runners though, Asafa Powell in particular, looked tense and nervous - the way most people would be with eyes of the world upon them, moments before the biggest event of their lives.

Bolt started out as he always does, hunched over before opening up and unwrapping a perfect running machine.

His long-ranging, leaping paces go against the traditional style often seen from sprinters.

The image of nuggety, muscly men, with tight, compactly built bodies right now seems as old fashioned as VCR's. Instead, Bolt is long and lanky and runs like a Gazelle and his legs barely touch the running tracks' surface.

Bolt's annihilation of the field over shadowed the fact that America's Tyson Gay had failed to even make the final. That and Bolt's fellow countrymen, Asafa Powell who fell apart in the final and never threatened before eventually finishing in fifth place.

After the race, Bolt celebrated like a happy kid. Kisses were being sent into the crowd while his opponents were still sorting out the minor placings.

Bolt found his family and friends in the crowd who were wiping away tears. There was a group hug before Bolt nonchalontley draped himself proudly in the Jamaican flag, took his shoes off - saving a special kiss for them - and began doing what he does best - Enjoying himself !

Usain Bolt is from a country that never needs much of a reason to throw a party and now he has given Jamaica a legitimate excuse to celebrate. If he parties anything like the way he sprints, then it will be one helluva bash !

Usain To Bolt Past Asafa & Tyson

Week one in Beijing has been full of inspiring moments and outstanding achievements. Many records have been smashed and while there has been a stack of medals handed out already, week two see's the climax of many of the team events. It also starts the serious stuff in the track & field. The stage gets set beautifully on Saturday night (22.30 Beijing time) by having the Men's 100m final which is always one of the most anticipated events, and this year is no different.

• Let's start by saying that this is race might aswell only be run by Usain Bolt of Jamaica, Tyson Gay from the USA and Asafa Powell, also from Jamaica. Bolt currently holds the World Record at 9.72 seconds and after watching his first heat yesterday, I'm tipping him to be the Olympic Champion here aswell. Powell & Gay also made it through to the semi's easily but Bolt was about 3 lengths clear of the field after only about 20m and was pulling up from about 40m out and still crossed the line under 10 seconds at 9.92. It's amazing that an event that barely lasts 10 seconds can generate so much interest and excitement but it can and does. For anyone looking for an outsider to maybe spoil the party and claim the bronze, I'd go for another Jamaican, Michael Frater. Some betting agency's might give you odds for the first place finisher outside of Bolt, Gay and Powell. Whatever happens, let's just hope that the race is clean.
  
• Ho-hum and Michael Phelps collected his sixth Gold Medal last night in the Men's 200m individual medley. If Phelps does go 8-8 which he is almost certainly going to, and sets new world records in each event too, it will be an achievement that will go down as one of the most significant & defining sporting moments ever. Those of us lucky enough to understand what it means will be able to tell our grandkids about it one day, sort of like a JFK getting shot moment.