Zika, drugs, and medals: The Rio Olympics thread

[Monoriu]

I am amazed that we have anybody who qualifies for the olympics at all.  We suck at sports, so the fact that we are represented is already an achievement of sorts. 

[alfred russel]

I saw a proposal from Christine Lagarde the other day suggesting that Athens be the permanent home of the Olympics instead of rotating it from city to city every four years.  I would be perfectly happy with that--it'd solve a lot of the problem of venue wastage at the very least.

The IOC wouldn't. Playing off candidate cities against each other so the games get bigger and bigger every time (with all the money that comes with that) is their business model.

I agree the whole thing is going to crash at some point, though.

Which is such bullshit. I agree that the Olympics are awesome, and they are awesome because of the competition. There isn't any need to blow $50billion on the winter games (though to be fair, it was probably more like a billion or two, with the balance going to corruption).

[Tonitrus]

The IOC should be outlawed, and given to a committee of the UN...probably nearly as corrupt, but at least maybe more oversight.  Does the IOC even really have any oversight whatsoever?

[CountDeMoney]

The IOC should be outlawed, and given to a committee of the UN...probably nearly as corrupt, but at least maybe more oversight.  Does the IOC even really have any oversight whatsoever?

Who would win:  the IOC or FIFA?

[Tonitrus]

And how would the NFL fare, if not constrained by the US gov? 

[Admiral Yi]

And how would the NFL fare, if not constrained by the US gov? 

Exactly the same as it does now.  FIFA and the IOC are corrupt because they are ostensibly non profits that skim from a very lucrative operation.  The NFL *is* the lucrative operation.

[alfred russel]

And how would the NFL fare, if not constrained by the US gov? 

Exactly the same as it does now.  FIFA and the IOC are corrupt because they are ostensibly non profits that skim from a very lucrative operation.  The NFL *is* the lucrative operation.

The NFL is also an ostensible non profit. 

[Admiral Yi]

The NFL is also an ostensible non profit. 

A man in your situation should not be splitting hairs. 

[CountDeMoney]

And how would the NFL fare, if not constrained by the US gov? 

I don't see where you're going with this.  If the NFL were truly constrained by the US government, then Bill Belichick would in prison, and half of Pittsburgh's playoff wins the last 10 years would be voided due to collusion.

Edit:  and Alfred is right;  the NFL is a non-profit;  it's NFL Properties that pulls the strings.

[frunk]

I don't see where you're going with this.  If the NFL were truly constrained by the US government, then Bill Belichick would in prison, and half of Pittsburgh's playoff wins the last 10 years would be voided due to collusion.

Edit:  and Alfred is right;  the NFL is a non-profit;  it's NFL Properties that pulls the strings.

Not anymore, they didn't like having to be public about how much their head honchos made.

The NFL gave up the tax exempt status in 2015 following public criticism; in a letter to the club owners, Commissioner Roger Goodell labeled it a "distraction", saying "the effects of the tax exempt status of the league office have been mischaracterized repeatedly in recent years... Every dollar of income generated through television rights fees, licensing agreements, sponsorships, ticket sales, and other means is earned by the 32 clubs and is taxable there. This will remain the case even when the league office and Management Council file returns as taxable entities, and the change in filing status will make no material difference to our business". As a result, the league office might owe around US$10 million, but is no longer required to disclose the salaries of its executive officers.

[CountDeMoney]

  Lose tax exempt status = profit!

[alfred russel]

The NFL is also an ostensible non profit. 

A man in your situation should not be splitting hairs. 

My situation has considerably improved.

[derspiess]

Got to hand it to Putin, he gets stuff done.

http://ftw.usatoday.com/2016/07/russia-is-holding-its-own-olympics-for-all-its-banned-athletes

We finally get the All-Drug Olympics that SNL predicted back in 1988.

http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/update-all-drug-olympics/n9691

[Savonarola]

Got to hand it to Putin, he gets stuff done.

http://ftw.usatoday.com/2016/07/russia-is-holding-its-own-olympics-for-all-its-banned-athletes

We finally get the All-Drug Olympics that SNL predicted back in 1988.

http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/update-all-drug-olympics/n9691

  One of my all time favorite skits.

[lustindarkness]

An all drug Olympics could be fun to watch, but they need to be extreme. Like hearts exploding and bleeding out at the finish line extreme.